pTLE 
ONFEDERAT 


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Tt7oma.^  Ne[^on  Pd.<&e  ■m 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 

OF  CIVIL  WAR  NOVELS 

PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


jU^ 


TWO    LITTLE    CONFEDERATES 


IN    OLE    VIRGINIA 

MARSE     CHAN,     AND     OTHER     STORIES 

INCLUDING 

Unc'  Edinhurg's  Drowndin\     Meh  Lady,  Ok 
'  Stracted,      No  I/aid  Pawn,     and  Polly. 

By   THOMAS    NELSON    PAGE. 
Une    volume,  cloth,    i2mo.  Si. 25. 


BEFO'    DE    WAR 

KCHOES     IN      TslEORO     DIALECT 

By    a.  O.   GORDON    and  THOMAS    NELSON    PAGE. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/twolittleconfedeOOpage 


THE    OLD    MAN    WALKED    UP    TO    THE     DOOR,  AND    STANDING    ON     ONE    SIDE 
FLUNG    IT    OPEN. 


Two   Little   Confederates 


BY 

THOMAS  Nelson  Page 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1888 


Copyright,  1888,  by 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


Press   of  J.  J.   Little    &   Co. 
Astor  Place,   New  York. 


TO    MY   MOTHER 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The  old  man  walked  up  to  the  door,  and  standing  on  one 

side,  flung  it  open Frontispiece. 

"I'm  in   command,"  said  the  gentleman,  smiling  at  him 

over  the  towel Page        /  5 

"  Gentlemen,    marsters,   don't    tech   my    horses,    ef  you 

please,"  said  Uncle 'Ball a "  61 

Frank  and  Willy  capture  a  member  of  the  conscript-guard  "  8y 

The  boy  faced  his  captor,  who  held  a   strap  in  one  hand'  "        iig 

"Look!   Look!   Toey  are  running.     They  are  beating  our 

men !"  exclaimed  the  boys "        73/ 

The  boys  sell  their  cakes  to  the  Yankees *■*■        7^7 

Some  of  the  servants  came  back  to  their  old  home       ...  "        755 


TWO  LITTLE  CONFEDERATES. 


CHAPTER    I. 


THE  "Two  Little  Confederates"  lived  at  Oakland.  It 
was  not  a  handsome  place,  as  modern  ideas  go,  but  down 
in  Old  Virginia,  where  the  standard  was  different  from 
the  later  one,  it  passed  in  old  times  as  one  of  the  best  plantations 
in  all  that  region.  The  boys  thought  it  the  greatest  place  in 
the  world,  of  course  excepting  Richmond,  where  they  had 
been  one  year  to  the  fair,  and  had  seen  a  man  pull  fire  out  of 
his  mouth,  and  do  other  wonderful  things.  It  was  quite 
secluded.  It  lay,  it  is  true,  right  between  two  of  the  county 
roads,  the  Court-house  Road  being  on  one  side,  and  on  the 
other  the  great  "  Mountain  Road,"  down  which  the  large 
covered  wagons  with  six  horses  and  jingling  bells  used  to  go  ; 
but  the  lodge  lay  this  side  of  the  one,  and  "the  big  woods," 
where  the  boys  shot  squirrels,  and  hunted  'possums  and  coons, 
and  which  reached  to  the  edge  of  "  Holetown,"  stretched 
between  the  house  and  the  other,  so  that  the  big  gate-post 
where  the  semi-weekly  mail  was  left  by  the  mail-rider  each 
Tuesday  and  Friday  afternoon  was  a  long  walk,  even  by  the 
near  cut  through  the  woods.  The  railroad  was  ten  miles 
away  by  the  road.     There  was  a  nearer  way,  only  about  half 


TWO  LITTLE  CONFEDERATES. 


the  distance,  by  which  the  negroes  used  to  walk,  and  which 
during  the  war,  after  all  the  horses  were  gone,  the  boys,  too, 
learned  to  travel ;  but  before  that,  the  road  by  Trinity  Church 
and  Honeyman's  Bridge  was  the  only  route,  and  the  other 
was  simply  a  dim  bridle-path,  and  the  "horseshoe-ford"  was 
known  to  the  initiated  alone. 

The  mansion  itself  was  known  on  the  plantation  as  "the 
great-house,"  to  distinguish  it  from  all  the  other  houses  on 
the  place,  of  which  there  were  many.  It  had  as  many  wings 
as  the  angels  in  the  vision  of  Ezekiel. 

These  additions  had  been  made,  some  in  one  generation, 
some  in  another,  as  the  size  of  the  family  required  ;  and 
finally,  when  there  was  no  side  of  the  original  structure  to 
which  another  wing  could  be  joined,  a  separate  building  had 
been  erected  on  the  edge  of  the  yard  which  was  called  "  The 
Office,"  and  was  used  as  such,  as  well  as  for  a  lodging-place 
by  the  young  men  of  the  family.  The  privilege  of  sleeping  in 
the  Office  was  highly  esteemed,  for,  like  the  toga  vh'ilzs,  it 
marked  the  entrance  upon  manhood  of  the  youths  who  were 
fortunate  enough  to  enjoy  it.  There  smoking  was  admissible, 
there  the  guns  were  kept  in  the  corner,  and  there  the  dogs 
were  allowed  to  sleep  at  the  feet  of  their  young  masters,  or 
in  bed  with  them,  if  they  preferred  it. 

In  one  of  the  rooms  in  this  building  the  boys  went  to 
school  whilst  small,  and  another  they  looked  forward  to 
having  as  their  own  when  they  should  be  old  enough  to  be 
elevated  to  the  coveted  dignity  of  sleeping  in  the  Ofifice.    Hugh 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


already  slept  there,  and  gave  himself  airs  in  proportion  ;  but 
Hugh  they  regarded  as  a  very  aged  person  ;  not  as  old,  it 
was  true,  as  their  cousins  who  came  down  from  college  at 
Christmas,  and  who,  at  the  first  outbreak  of  war,  all  rushed 
into  the  army  ;  but  each  of  these  was  in  the  boys'  eyes  a 
Methuselah.  Hugh  had  his  own  horse  and  the  double- 
barrelled  gun,  and  when  a  fellow  got  those  there  was  little 
material  difference  between  him  and  other  men,  even  if  he 
did  have  to  go  to  the  academy, — which  was  really  something 
like  oroing^  to  school. 

The  boys  were  Frank  and  Willy  ;  Frank  being  the  eldest. 
They  went  by  several  names  on  the  place.  Their  mother 
called  them  her  "little  men,"  with  much  pride;  Uncle  Balla 
spoke  of  them  as  "them  chillern,"  which  generally  implied 
something  of  reproach  ;  and  Lucy  Ann,  who  had  been  taken 
into  the  house  to  "run  after"  them  when  they  were  little 
boys,  always  coupled  their  names  as  "Frank  'n'  Willy."  Peter 
and  Cole  did  the  same  when  their  mistress  was  not  by. 

When  there  first  began  to  be  talk  at  Oakland  about  the 
war,  the  boys  thought  it  would  be  a  dreadful  thing;  their 
principal  ideas  about  war  being  formed  from  an  intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  Bible  and  its  accounts  of  the  wars  of  the 
Children  of  Israel,  in  which  men,  women  and  children  were 
invariably  put  to  the  sword.  This  gave  a  vivid  conception 
of  its  horrors. 

One  evening,  in  the  midst  of  a  discussion  about  the 
approaching  crisis,  Willy  astonished  the  company,  who  were 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


discussing  the  merits  of  probable  leaders  of  the  Union  armies, 
by  suddenly  announcing  that  he'd  "  bet  they  did  n't  have  any 
general  who  could  beat  Joab." 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  war.  the  boys  had  led  a  very  unevent- 
ful, but  a  very  pleasant  life.  They  used  to  go  hunting  with 
Hugh,  their  older  brother,  when  he  would  let  them  go,  and 
after  the  cows  with  Peter  and  Cole.  Old  Balla,  the  driver, 
was  their  boon  comrade  and  adviser,  and  taught  them  to  make 
whips,  and  traps  for  hares  and  birds,  as  he  had  taught  them 
to  ride  and  to  cobble  shoes. 

He  lived  alone  (for  his  wife  had  been  set  free  years  before, 
and  lived  in  Philadelphia).  His  room  over  "the  old  kitchen" 
was  the  boys'  play-room  when  he  would  permit  them  to  come 
in.  There  were  so  many  odds  and  ends  in  it  that  it  was  a 
delightful  place. 

Then  the  boys  played  blindman's-buff  in  the  house,  or  hide- 
and-seek  about  the  yard  or  garden,  or  upstairs  in  their  den,  a 
narrow  alcove  at  the  top  of  the  house. 

The  little  willow-shadowed  creek,  that  ran  through  the 
meadow  behind  the  barn,  was  one  of  their  haunts.  They 
fished  in  it  for  minnows  and  little  perch;  they  made  dams 
and  bathed  in  it ;  and  sometimes  they  played  pirates  upon 
its  waters. 

Once  they  made  an  extended  search  up  and  down  its  banks 
for  any  fragments  of  Pharaoh's  chariots  which  might  have 
been  washed  up  so  high;  but  that  was  when  they  were 
younger  and  did  not  have  much  sense. 


CHAPTER     11. 

THERE  was  great  excitement  at  Oakland  during  the  John 
Brown  raid,  and  the  boys'  grandmother  used  to  pray 
for  him  and  Cook,  whose  pictures  were  in  the  papers. 

The  boys  became  soldiers,  and  drilled  punctiliously  with 
guns  which  they  got  Uncle  Balla  to  make  for  them.  Frank 
was  the  captain,  Willy  the  first  lieutenant,  and  a  dozen  or 
more  little  negroes  composed  the  rank  and  file,  Peter  and 
Cole  being  trusted  file-closers. 

A  little  later  they  found  their  sympathies  all  on  the  side  of 
peace  and  the  preservation  of  the  Union.  Their  uncle  was 
for  keeping  the  Union  unbroken,  and  ran  for  the  Convention 
against  Colonel  Richards,  who  was  the  chief  officer  of  the 
militia  in  the  county,  and  was  as  blood-thirsty  as  Tamerlane, 
who  reared  the  pyramid  of  skulls,  and  as  hungry  for  military 
renown  as  the  great  Napoleon,  about  whom  the  boys  had  read. 

There  was  immense  excitement  in  the  county  over  the 
election.  Though  the  boys'  mother  had  made  them  add  to. 
their  prayers  a  petition  that  their  Uncle  William  might  win, 
and  that  he  might  secure  the  blessings  of  peace  ;  and,  though 
at  family  prayers,  night  and  morning,  the  same  petition  was 
presented,  the  boys'  uncle  was  beaten  at  the  polls  by  a  large 
majority.     And  then  they  knew  there  was  bound   to  be  war, 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


and  that  it  must  be  very  wicked.  They  almost  felt  the 
"  invader's  heel,"  and  the  invaders,  were  invariably  spoken  of 
as  "cruel,"  and  the  heel  was  described  as  of  "  iron,"  and  was 
always  mentioned  as  engaged  in  the  act  of  crushing.  They 
would  have  been  terribly  alarmed  at  this  cruel  invasion  had 
they  not  been  reassured  by  the  general  belief  of  the  commu- 
nity that  one  Southerner  could  whip  ten  Yankees,  and  that, 
collectively,  the  South  could  drive  back  the  North  with  pop- 
guns. When  the  war  actually  broke  out,  the  boys  were  the 
most  enthusiastic  of  rebels,  and  the  troops  in  Camp  Lee  did 
not  drill  more  continuously  nor  industriously. 

Their  father,  who  had  been  a  Whig  and  opposed  secession 
until  the  very  last,  on  Virginia's  seceding,  finally  cast  his  lot 
with  his  people,  and  joined  an  infantry  company;  and  Uncle 
William  raised  and  equipped  an  artillery  company,  of  which 
he  was  chosen  captain  ;  but  the  infantry  was  too  tame  and  the 
artillery  too  ponderous  to  suit  the  boys. 

They  were  taken  to  see  the  drill  of  the  county  troop  of 
cavalry,  with  its  prancing  horses  and  clanging  sabres.  It  was 
commanded  by  a  cousin  ;  and  from  that  moment  they  were 
cavalrymen  to  the  core.  They  flung  away  their  stick-guns  in 
disgust ;  and  Uncle  Balla  spent  two  grumbling  days  fashioning 
them  a  stableful  of  horses  with  real  heads  and  "sure  'nough  " 
leather  bridles. 

Once,  indeed,  a  secret  attempt  was  made  to  utilize  the 
horses  and  mules  which  were  running  in  the  back  pasture  ;  but 
a  premature  discovery  of  the  matter  ended  in  such  disaster  to 


TIVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


all  concerned  that  the  plan  was  abandoned,  and  the  boys  had 
to  content  themselves  with  their  wooden  steeds. 

The  day  that  the  final  orders  came  for  their  father  and 
uncle  to  go  to  Richmond, — from  which  point  they  were  ordered 
to  "the  Peninsula,",— the  boys  could  not  understand  why 
every  one  was  suddenly  plunged  Into  such  distress.  Then, 
next  morning,  when  the  soldiers  left,  the  boys  could  not 
altogether  comprehend  it.  They  thought  it  was  a  very  fine 
thing  to  be  allowed  to  ride  Frank  and  Hun,  the  two  war- 
horses,  with  their  new,  deep  army  saddles  and  long  bits. 
They  cried  when  their  father  and  uncle  said  good-bye,  and 
went  away;  but  it  was  because  their  mother  looked  so  pale 
and  ill,  and  not  because  they  did  not  think  it  was  all  grand. 
They  had  no  doubt  that  all  would  come  back  soon,  for  old 
Uncle  Billy,  the  "  head-man,"  who  had  been  born  down  in 
"  Little  York,"  where  Cornwallis  surrendered,  had  expressed 
the  sentiment  of  the  whole  plantation  when  he  declared,  as  he 
sat  in  the  back  yard  surrounded  by  an  admiring  throng,  and 
surveyed  with  pride  the  two  glittering  sabres  which  he  had 
allowed  no  one  but  himself  to  polish,  that  "  Ef  them  Britishers 
jest  sees  dese  swodes  dee '11  run  !"  The  boys  tried  to  explain 
to  him  that  these  were  not  British,  but  Yankees, — but  he  was 
hard  to  convince.  Even  Lucy  Ann,  who  was  incurably  afraid 
of  everything  like  a  gun  or  fire-arm,  partook  of  the  general 
fervor,  and  boasted  effusively  that  she  had  actually  "  tetched 
Marse  John's  big  pistils." 

Hugh,  who  was  fifteen,  and  was  permitted  to  accompany 


riFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


his  father  to  Richmond,  was  regarded  by  the  boys  with  a 
feeHng  of  mingled  envy  and  veneration,  which  he  accepted 
with  dignified  complacency. 

Frank  and  Willy  soon  found  that  war  brought  some 
immunities.  The  house  filled  up  so  with  the  families  of 
cousins  and  friends  who  were  refugees  that  the  boys  were 
obliged  to  sleep  in  the  Office,  and  thus  they  felt  that,  at  a 
bound,  they  were  almost  as  old  as  Hugh. 

There  were  the  cousins  from  Gloucester,  from  the  Valley, 
and  families  of  relatives  from  Baltimore  and  New  York,  who 
had  come  south  on  the  declaration  of  war.  Their  favorite 
was  their  Cousin  Belle,  whose  beauty  at  once  captivated  both 
boys.  This  was  the  first  time  that  the  boys  knew  anything 
of  crirls,  except  their  own  sister,  Evelyn  ;  and  after  a  brief 
period,  during  which  the  novelty  gave  them  pleasure,  the 
inability  of  the  girls  to  hunt,  climb  trees,  or  play  knucks, 
etc.,  and  the  additional  restraint  which  their  presence  im- 
posed, caused  them  to  hold  the  opinion  that  "girls  were  no 
ofood." 


CHAPTER     III. 

IN  course  of  time  they  saw  a  great  deal  of  "the  army, " — 
which  meant  the  Confederates.  The  idea  that  the  Yan- 
kees could  ever  get  to  Oakland  never  entered  any  one's 
head.  It  was  understood  that  the  army  lay  between  Oakland 
and  them,  and  surely  they  could  never  get  by  the  innumerable 
soldiers  who  were  always  passing  up  one  road  or  the  other, 
and  who,  day  after  day  and  night  after  night,  were  coming  to 
be  fed,  and  were  rapidly  eating  up  everything  that  had  been 
left  on  the  place.  By  the  end  of  the  first  year  they  had  been 
coming  so  long  that  they  made  scarcely  any  difference ;  but 
the  first  time  a  regiment  camped  in  the  neighborhood  it 
created  great  excitement. 

It  became  known  one  night  that  a  cavalry  regiment,  in 
which  were  several  of  their  cousins,  was  encamped  at  Honey- 
man's  Bridge,  and  the  boys'  mother  determined  to  send  a 
supply  of  provisions  for  the  camp  next  morning ;  so  several 
sheep  were  killed,  the  smoke-house  was  opened,  and  all  night 
long  the  great  fires  in  the  kitchen  and  wash-house  glowed  ; 
and  even  then  there  was  not  room,  so  that  a  big  fire  was 
kindled  in  the  back  yard,  beside  which  saddles  of  mutton 
were  roasted  in  the  tin  kitchens.  Everybody  was  '  rushing." 
The  boys  were  told  that  they  might  go  to  see  the  sol- 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


diers,  and  as  they  had  to  get  off  long  before  daylight,  they 
went  to  bed  early,  and  left  all  "the  other  boys" — that  is, 
Peter  and  Cole  and  other  colored  children — squatting  about 
the  fires  and  trying  to  help  the  cooks  to  pile  on  wood. 

It  was  hard  to  leave  the  exciting  scene. 

They  were  very  sleepy  the  next  morning  ;  indeed,  they 
seemed  scarcely  to  have  fallen  asleep  when  Lucy  Ann  shook 
them  ;  but  they  jumped  up  without  the  usual  application  of 
cold  water  in  their  faces,  which  Lucy  Ann  so  delighted  to 
make  ;  and  in  a  little  while  they  were  out  in  the  yard,  where 
Balla  was  standing  holding  three  horses, — their  mothers 
riding-horse  ;  another  with  a  side-saddle  for  their  Cousin  Belle, 
whose  brother  was  in  the  regiment  ;  and  one  for  himself, — 
and  Peter  and  Cole  were  holding  the  carriage-horses  for 
the  boys,  and  several  other  men  were  holding  mules. 

Great  hampers  covered  with  white  napkins  were  on  the 
porch,  and  the  savory  smell  decided  the  boys  not  to  eat  their 
breakfast,  but  to  wait  and  take  their  share  with  the  soldiers. 

The  roads  were  so  bad  that  the  carriage  could  not  oro  ; 
and  as  the  boys'  mother  wished  to  get  the  provisions  to  the 
soldiers  before  they  broke  camp,  they  had  to  set  out  at  once. 
In  a  few  minutes  they  were  all  in  the  saddle,  the  boys  and 
their  mother  and  Cousin  Belle  in  front,  and  Balla  and  the 
other  servants  following  close  behind,  each  holding  before 
him  a  hamper,  which  looked  queer  and  shadowy  as  they  rode 
on  in  the  darkness. 

The  sky,  which  was  filled  with  stars  when  they  set  out. 


TJP'O  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


grew  white  as  they  splashed  along  mile  after  mile  through 
the  mud.  Then  the  road  became  clearer;  they  could  see 
into  the  woods,  and  the  sky  changed  to  a  rich  pink,  like  the 
color  of  peach- blossoms.  Their  horses  were  covered  with 
mud  up  to  the  saddle-skirts.  They  turned  into  a  lane  only 
half  a  mile  from  the  bridge,  and,  suddenly,  a  bugle  rang  out 
down  in  the  wooded  bottom  below  them,  and  the  boys 
hardly  could  be  kept  from  putting  their  horses  to  a  run,  so 
fearful  were  they  that  the  soldiers  were  leaving,  and  that 
they  should  not  see  them.  Their  mother,  however,  told 
them  that  this  was  probably  the  reveille,  or  "  rising-bell,"  of 
the  soldiers.  She  rode  on  at  a  good  sharp  canter,  and  the 
boys  were  diverting  themselves  over  a  discussion  as  to  who 
would  act  the  part  of  Lucy  Ann  in  waking  the  regiment  of 
soldiers,  when  they  turned  a  curve,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
road,  a  few  hundred  yards  ahead,  stood  several  horsemen. 

"There  they  are,"  exclaimed  both  boys. 

"No,  that  is  a  picket,"  said  their  mother;  "gallop  on, 
Frank,  and  tell  them  we  are  bringing  breakfast  for  the  regi- 
ment." 

Frank  dashed  ahead,  and  soon  they  saw  a  soldier  ride 
forward  to  meet  him,  and,  after  a  few  words,  return  with  him 
to  his  comrades.  Then,  while  they  were  still  a  hundred 
yards  distant,  they  saw  Frank,  who  had  received  some  direc- 
tions, start  off  again  toward  the  bridge,  at  a  hard  gallop. 
The  picket  had  told  him  to  go  straight  on  down  the  hill,  and 
he  would  find  the    camp  just  the  other  side  of  the   bridge. 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


He  accordingly  rode  on,  feeling  very  important  at  being 
allowed  to  go  alone  to  the  camp  on  such  a  mission. 

As  he  reached  a  turn  in  the  road,  just  above  the  river, 
the  whole  regiment  lay  swarming  below  him  among  the  large 
trees  on  the  bank  of  the  little  stream.  The  horses  were 
picketed  to  bushes  and  stakes,  in  long  rows,  the  saddles  lying 
on  the  ground,  not  far  off  ;  and  hundreds  of  men  were  mov- 
ing about,  some  in  full  uniform  and  others  without  coat  or 
vest.  A  half-dozen  wagons  with  sheets  on  them  stood  on 
one  side  among  the  trees,  near  which  several  fires  were 
smoking,  with  men  around  them. 

As  Frank  clattered  up  to  the  bridge,  a  soldier  with  a  gun 
on  his  arm,  who  had  been  standing  by  the  railing,  walked 
out  to  the  middle  of  the  bridge. 

"  Halt  !  Where  are  you  going  In  such  a  hurry,  my  young 
man  ?"  he  said. 

"  I  wish  to  see  the  colonel,"  said  Frank,  repeating  as 
nearly  as  he  could  the  words  the  picket  had  told  him. 

"  What  do  you  want  with  him  ?  " 

Frank  was  tempted  not  to  tell  him  ;  but  he  was  so  im- 
patient to  deliver  his  message  before  the  others  should 
arrive,  that  he  told  him  what  he  had  come  for. 

"  There  he  Is,"  said  the  sentinel,  pointing  to  a  place 
among  the  trees  where  stood  at  least  five  hundred  men. 

Frank  looked,  expecting  to  recognize  the  colonel  by 
his  noble  bearing,  or  splendid  uniform,  or  some  striking 
marks. 


TWO  LITTLE  CONFEDERATES.  13 


"  Where  ?  "  he  asked,  In  doubt  ;  for  while  a  number  of 
the  men  were  in  uniform,  he  knew  these  to  be  privates. 

"  There,"  said  the  sentry,  pointing  ;  "  by  that  stump,  near 
the  yellow  horse-blanket." 

Frank  looked  again.  The  only  man  he  could  fix  upon  by 
the  description  was  a  young  fellow,  washing  his  face  in  a  tin 
basin,  and  he  felt  that  this  could  not  be  the  colonel  ;  but  he 
did  not  like  to  appear  dull,  so  he  thanked  the  man  and  rode 
on,  thinking  he  would  go  to  the  point  Indicated,  and  ask 
some  one  else  to  show  him  the  officer. 

He  felt  quite  grand  as  he  rode  in  among  the  men,  who, 
he  thought,  would  recognize  his  Importance  and  treat  him 
accordingly  ;  but,  as  he  passed  on.  Instead  of  paying  him  the 
respect  he  had  expected,  they  began  to  guy  him  with  all 
sorts  of  questions. 

"Hullo,  bud,  going  to  jine  the  cavalry?"  asked  one. 
"  Which  Is  oldest ;  you  or  your  horse  ?"  inquired  another. 

"How's  pa — and  ma?"  "Does  your  mother  know 
you  're  out  ? "  asked  others.  One  soldier  walked  up,  and 
putting  his  hand  on  the  bridle,  proceeded  affably  to  ask  him 
after  his  health,  and  that  of  every  member  of  his  family.  At 
first  Frank  did  not  understand  that  they  were  making  fun 
of  him,  but  it  dawned  on  him  when  the  man  asked  him 
solemnly  : 

"  Are  there  any  Yankees  around,  that  you  were  running 
away  so  fast  just  now  ?" 

"  No  ;  If  there  were  I'd  never  have  {omvlA  yo2i  here,"  said 


14  TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

Frank,  shortly,  in  reply  ;  which  at  once  turned  the  tide  in  his 
favor  and  diverted  the  ridicule  from  himself  to  his'  teaser, 
who  was  seized  by  some  of  his  comrades  and  carried  off  with 
much  laughter  and  slapping  on  the  back. 

"  I  wish  to  see  Colonel  Marshall,"  said  Frank,  pushing  his 
way  through  the  group  that  surrounded  him,  and  riding  up 
to  the  man  who  was  still  occupied  at  the  basin  on  the  stump. 

"  All  right,  sir,  I'm  the  man,"  said  the  individual,  cheerily 
looking  up  with  his  face  dripping  and  rosy  from  its  recent 
scrubbing. 

"You  the  colonel!"  exclaimed  Frank,  suspicious  that  he 
was  again  being  ridiculed,  and  thinking  it  impossible  that 
this  slim,  rosy-faced  youngster,  who  was  scarcely  stouter 
than  Hugh,  and  who  was  washing  in  a  tin  basin,  could  be  the 
commander  of  all  these  soldierly-looking  men,  many  of  whom 
were  old  enough  to  be  his  father. 

"  Yes,  I'm  the  lieutenant-colonel.  I'm  in  command,"  said 
the  gentleman,  smiling  at  him  over  the  towel. 

Something  made  Frank  understand  that  this  was  really 
the  officer,  and  he  gave  his  message,  which  was  received  with 
many  expressions  of  thanks. 

"  Won't  you  get  down  ?  Here,  Campbell,  take  this 
horse,  will  you  ? "  he  called  to  a  soldier,  as  Frank  sprang 
from  his  horse.  The  orderly  stepped  forward  and  took  the 
bridle. 

"  Now,  come  with  me,"  said  the  colonel,  leading  the  way. 
""We  must   get  ready  to  receive    your   mother.     There  are 


tftM> 


fi 


up',,  ^^^ 


I'm  in  command"  said  the   gentleman,  smiling  at   him  over  the  towel. 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


some  ladies  coming — and  breakfast,"  he  called  to  a  group 
who  were  engaged  in  the  same  occupation  he  had  just  ended, 
and  whom  Frank  knew  by  instinct  to  be  officers. 

The  information  seemed  to  electrify  the  little  knot  ad- 
dressed ;  for  they  began  to  rush  around,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments they  all  were  in  their  uniforms,  and  surrounding  the 
colonel,  who,  having  brushed  his  hair  with  the  aid  of  a  little 
glass  hung  on  a  bush,  had  hurried  into  his  coat  and  was 
buckling  on  his  sword  and  giving  orders  in  a  way  which  at 
once  satisfied  Frank  that  he  was  every  inch  a  colonel. 

"  Now  let  us  go  and  receive  your  mother,"  said  he  to  the 
boy.  As  he  strode  through  the  camp  with  his  coat  tightly 
buttoned,  his  soft  hat  set  jauntily  on  the  side  of  his  head, 
his  plumes  sweeping  over  its  side,  and  his  sword  clattering  at 
his  spurred  heel,  he  presented  a  very  different  appearance 
from  that  which  he  had  made  a  little  before,  with  his  head 
in  a  tin  basin,  and  his  face  covered  with  lather.  In  fact. 
Colonel  Marshall  was  already  a  noted  officer,  and  before  the 
end  of  the  war  he  attained  still  higher  rank  and  reputation. 

The  colonel  met  the  rest  of  the  party  at  the  bridge,  and 
introduced  himself  and  several  officers  who  soon  joined  him. 
The  negroes  were  directed  to  take  the  provisions  over  to  the 
other  side  of  the  stream  into  the  camp,  and  in  a  little  while 
the  whole  regiment  were  enjoying  the  breakfast.  The  boys 
and  their  mother  had  at  the  colonel's  request  joined  his  mess, 
in  which  was  one  of  their  cousins,  the  brother  of  their  cousin 
Belle. 


nVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


The  gentlemen  could  eat  scarcely  anything,  they  were  so 
busy  attending  to  the  wants  of  the  ladies.  The  colonel,  par- 
ticularly, waited  on  their  cousin  Belle  all  the  time. 

As  soon  as  they  had  finished  the  colonel  left  them,  and 
a  bugle  blew.  In  a  minute  all  was  bustle.  Officers  were 
criving  orders  ;  horses  were  saddled  and  brought  out  ;  and, 
by  what  seemed  magic  to  the  boys,  the  men,  who  just  before 
were  scattered  about  among  the  trees  laughing  and  eating, 
were  standing  by  their  horses  all  in  proper  order.  The 
colonel  and  the  officers  came  and  said  good-bye. 

Again  the  bugle  blew.  Every  man  was  in  his  saddle.  A 
few  words  by  the  colonel,  followed  by  other  words  from  the 
captains,  and  the  column  started,  turning  across  the  bridge, 
the  feet  of  the  horses  thundering  on  the  planks.  Then  the 
regiment  wound  up  the  hill  at  a  walk,  the  men  singing 
snatches  of  a  dozen  songs,  of  which  "  The  Bonnie  Blue 
Flag,"  "  Lorena,"  and  "  Carry  me  Back  to  Old  Virginia 
Shore,"  were  the  chief  ones. 

It  seemed  to  the  boys  that  to  be  a  soldier  was  the  noblest 
thing  on  earth  ;  and  that  this  regiment  could  do  anything. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

AFTER  this  it  became  a  common  thing  for  passing  regi- 
ments to  camp  near  Oakland,  and  the  fire  blazed 
many  a  night,  cooking  for  the  soldiers,  till  the  chickens 
were  crowing  in  the  morning.  The  negroes  all  had  hen- 
houses and  raised  their  own  chickens,  and  when  a  camp  was 
near  them  they  used  to  drive  a  thriving  trade  on  their  own 
account,  selling  eggs  and  chickens  to  the  privates  while  the 
of^cers  were  entertained  in  the  "  gret  house." 

It  was  thought  an  honor  to  furnish  food  to  the  soldiers. 
Every  soldier  was  to  the  boys  a  hero,  and  each  young  officer 
might  rival  Ivanhoe  or  Coeur  de  Lion. 

It  was  not  a  great  while,  however,  before  they  learned 
that  all  soldiers  were  not  like  their  favorite  knights.  At  any 
rate,  thefts  were  frequent.  The  absence  of  men  from  the 
plantations,  and  the  constant  passing  of  strangers  made 
stealing  easy ;  hen-roosts  were  robbed  time  after  time,  and 
even  pigs  and  sheep  were  taken  without  any  trace  of  the 
thieves.  The  boys'  hen-house,  however,  which  was  in  the 
yard,  had  never  been  troubled.  It  was  about  their  only 
possession,  and  they  took  great  pride  in  it. 

One  night  the  boys  were  fast  asleep  in  their  room  in  the 
office,  with  old  Bruno  and  Nick  curled   up  on  their  sheep- 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


skins  on  the  floor.  Hugh  was  away,  so  the  boys  were  the 
only  "  men  "  on  the  place,  and  felt  that  they  were  the  pro- 
tectors of  the  plantation.  The  frequent  thefts  had  made 
every  one  very  suspicious,  and  the  boys  had  made  up  their 
minds  to  be  on  the  watch,  and,  if  possible,  to  catch  the  thief. 

The  negroes  said  that  the  deserters  did  the  stealing. 

On  the  night  in  question,  the  boys  were  sound  asleep 
when  old  Bruno  gave  a  low  growl,  and  then  began  walking 
and  sniffing  up  and  down  the  room.  Soon  Nick  gave  a 
sharp,  quick  bark. 

Frank  waked  first.  He  was  not  startled,  for  the  dogs  were 
in  the  habit  of  barking  whenever  they  wished  to  go  out-of- 
doors.  Now,  however,  they  kept  it  up,  and  it  was  in  a  strain 
somewhat  different  from  their  usual  signal. 

"What's  the  matter  with  you  ?  Go  and  lie  down,  Bruno," 
called  Frank.  "  Hush  up,  Nick!"  But  Bruno  would  not  lie 
down,  and  Nick  would  not  keep  quiet,  though  at  the  sound  of 
Frank's  voice  they  felt  less  responsibility,  and  contented 
themselves  with  a  low  growling. 

After  a  little  while  Frank  was  on  the  point  of  dropping  off 
to  sleep  again,  when  he  heard  a  sound  out  in  the  yard,  which 
at  once  thoroughly  awakened  him.  He  nudged  Willy  in  the 
side. 

"  Willy — Willy,  wake  up ;  there's  some  one  moving 
around  outdoors." 

"  Umm-mm,"  groaned  Willy,  turning  over  and  settling 
himself  for  another  nap. 


TIVO    LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


The  sound  of  a  chicken  chirping  out  In  fright  reached 
Frank's  ear. 

"Wake  up,  Willy  !"  he  called,  pinching  him  hard.  "There's 
some  one  at  the  hen-house." 

Willy  was  awake  In  a  second.  The  boys  consulted  as  to 
what  should  be  done.  Willy  was  sceptical.  He  thought 
Frank  had  been  dreaming,  or  that  it  was  only  Uncle  Balla, 
or  "  some  one  "  moving  about  the  yard.  But  a  second  cackle 
of  warning  reached  them,  and  in  a  minute  both  boys  were  out 
of  bed  pulling  on  their  clothes  with  trembling  impatience. 

"Let's  go  and  wake  Uncle  Balla,"  proposed  Willy,  getting 
himself  all  tangled  In  the  legs  of  his  trousers. 

"  No  ;  I'll  tell  you  what,  let's  catch  him  ourselves,"  sug- 
gested Frank. 

"All  right,"  assented  Willy.  "  We'll  catch  him  and  lock 
him  up;  suppose  he's  got  a  pistol?  your  gun  maybe  won't  go 
off  ;  It  does  n't  always  burst  the  cap." 

"  Well,  your  old  musket  Is  loaded,  and  you  can  hold  him, 
while  I  snap  the  cap  at  him,  and  get  it  ready" 

"  All  right — I  can't  find  my  jacket — I'll  hold  him." 
"Where   In    the    world    Is    my    hat?"    whispered  Frank. 
"  Never  mind,  it  must  be  In  the  house.      Let's  go  out  the  back 
way.     We  can  get  out  without  his  hearing  us." 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  the  dogs  ?     Let's  shut  them  up." 
"  No,  let's  take  'em  with  us.     We  can  keep  them  quiet  and 
hold  'em  in,  and  they  can  track  him  If  he  gets  away." 

"  All  right ;  "  and  the  boys  slowly  opened  the  door,  and 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


crept  stealthily  out,  Frank  clutching  his  double-barrelled  gun, 
and  Willy  hugging  a  heavy  musket  which  he  had  found  and 
claimed  as  one  of  the  prizes  of  war.  It  was  almost  pitch- 
dark. 

They  decided  that  one  should  take  one  side  of  the  hen- 
house, and  one  the  other  side  (in  such  a  way  that  if  they  had 
to  shoot,  they  would  almost  certainly  shoot  one  another  !) 
but  before  they  had  separated  both  dogs  jerked  loose  from 
their  hands  and  dashed  away  in  the  darkness,  barking 
furiously. 

"  There  he  goes  round  the  garden,"  shouted  Willy,  as  the 
sound  of  footsteps  like  those  of  a  man  running  with  all  his 
might  came  from  the  direction  which  the  dogs  had  taken. 

"  Come  on,"  and  both  started  ;  but,  after  taking  a  few 
steps,  they  stopped  to  listen  so  that  they  might  trace  the 
fugitive. 

A  faint  noise  behind  them  arrested  their  attention,  and 
Frank  tiptoed  back  toward  the  hen-house.  It  was  too  dark 
to  see  much,  but  he  heard  the  hen-house  door  creak,  and  was 
conscious  even  in  the  darkness  that  it  was  being  pushed  slowly 
open. 

"  Here's  one,  Willy,"  he  shouted,  at  the  same  time  putting 
his  gun  to  his  shoulder  and  pulling  the  trigger.  The  hammer 
fell  with  a  sharp  "  click  "  just  as  the  door  was  snatched  to  with 
a  bang.  The  cap  had  failed  to  explode,  or  the  chicken-eating 
days  of  the  individual  in  the  hen-house  would  have  ended 
then  and  there. 


riVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  23 


The  boys  stood  for  some  moments  with  their  guns  pointed 
at  the  door  of  the  hen-house  expecting  the  person  within  to 
attempt  to  burst  out  ;  but  the  dick  of  the  hammer  and  their 
hurried  conference  without,  in  which  it  was  promptly  agreed 
to  let  him  have  both  barrels  if  he  appeared,  reconciled  him  to 
remaining  within. 

After  some  time  it  was  decided  to  go  and  wake  Uncle 
Balla,  and  confer  with  him  as  to  the  proper  disposition  of 
their  captive.  Accordingly,  Frank  went  off  to  obtain  help, 
while  Willy  remained  to  watch  the  hen-house.  As  Frank 
left  he  called  back  : 

"  Willy,  you  take  good  aim  at  him,  and  if  he  pokes  his 
head  out — let  him  have  it!" 

This  Willy  solemnly  promised  to  do. 

Frank  was  hardly  out  of  hearing  before  Willy  was  surprised 
to  hear  the  prisoner  call  him  by  name  in  the  most  friendly 
and  familiar  manner,  although  the  voice  was  a  strano-e 
one. 

"Willy,  is  that  you  .?"  called  the  person  inside. 
''Yes." 

"  Where's  Frank  ?" 
"  Gone  to  get  Uncle  Balla." 
"  Did  you  see  that  other  fellow?" 
"Yes." 

"  I  wish  you  'd  shot  him.  He  brought  me  here  and  played 
a  joke  on  me.  He  told  me  this  was  a  house  I  could  sleep  in, 
and  shut  me  up  in  here,— and    blest    if    I    don't   b'lieve   it's 


24  TWO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

nothin'  but  a  hen-house.  Let  me  out  here  a  minute,"  he  con- 
tinued, after  a  pause,  cajolingly. 

"  No,  I  won't,"  said  Willy  firmly,  getting  his  gun  ready 

There  was  a  pause,  and  then  from  the  depths  of  the  hen- 
house issued  the  most  awful  groan  : 

•' Umm  !   Ummm!!   Ummmm!!!" 

Willy  was  frightened. 

"  Umm  !    Umm  !  "  was  repeated. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you  ? "  asked  Willy,  feeling 
sorry  in  spite  of  himself. 

"  Oh  !  Oh  !  Oh  !  I  'm  so  sick,"  groaned  the  man  in  the 
hen-house. 

"  How  ?     What 's  the  matter  ?  " 

"  That  man  that  fooled  me  in  here  gave  me  something  to 
drink,  and  it's  pizened  me  ;  oh  !  oh  !  oh  !  I  'm  dying." 

It  was  a  horrible  groan. 

Willy's  heart  relented.  He  moved  to  the  door  and  was 
just  about  to  open  it  to  look  in  when  a  light  flashed  across 
the  yard  from  Uncle  Balla's  house,  and  he  saw  him  coming 
with  a  flaming  light-wood  knot  in   his  hand. 


CHAPTER    V. 

INSTEAD  of  opening  the  door,  therefore,  Willy  called  to 
the  old  man,  who  was  leisurely  crossing  the  yard  : 

"Run,  Uncle  Balla.     Quick,  run!" 

At  the  call  Old  Balla  and  Frank  set  out  as  fast  as  they 
could. 

"What's  the  matter?  Is  he  done  kill  de  chickens?  Is 
he  done  got  away  ?  "  the  old  man  asked,  breathlessly. 

"  No,  he  's  dyin',"  shouted  Willy. 

"  Hi  !  is  you  shoot  him  ?  "  asked  the  old  driver. 

"  No,  that  other  man  's  poisoned  him.  He  was  the  robber 
and  he  fooled  this  one,"  explained  Willy,  opening  the  door 
and  peeping  anxiously  in. 

"  Go  'long,  boy, — now,  d'  ye  ever  heah  de  better  o'  dat  ? 
— dat  man  's  foolin'  wid  you  ;  jes'  tryin'  to  git  yo'  to  let  him 
out." 

"  No,  he  is  n't,"  said  Willy  ;  "  you  ought  to  have  heard 
him." 

But  both  Balla  and  Frank  were  laughing  at  him,  so  he 
felt  very  shamefaced.  He  was  relieved  by  hearing  another 
groan. 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh  !     Ah,  ah  !  " 

"  You  hear  that  ?  "  he  asked,  triumphantly. 


26  TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  I  boun'  I  '11  see  what  's  the  matter  with  him,  the  roscol  ! 
Stan'  right  dyah,  y'  all,  an'  if  he  try  to  run  shoot  him,  but 
mine  you  don'  hit  w^,"  and  the  old  man  walked  up  to  the 
door,  and  standing  on  one  side  flung  it  open.  "  What  you 
doin'  in  dyah  after  dese  chillern's  chickens  ?  "  he  called  fiercely. 

"  Hello,  old  man,  's  'at  you  ?  I  's  mighty  sick,"  muttered 
the  person  within.  Old  Balla  held  his  torch  inside  the  house, 
amid  a  confused  cackle  and  flutter  of  fowls. 

"  Well,  ef  't  ain'  a  white  man,  and  a  soldier  at  dat  !  "  he 
exclaimed.  "  What  you  doin'  heah,  robbin'  white  folks'  hen- 
roos'  ?  "  he  called,  roughly.  "  Git  up  off  dat  groun'  ;  you 
ain'  sick." 

"  Let  me  get  up,  Sergeant, —  hie — don't  you  heah  the 
roll-call  ? — the  tent  's  mighty  dark  ;  what  you  fool  me  in 
here  for  ? "  muttered  the  man  inside. 

The  boys  could  see  that  he  was  stretched  out  on  the 
floor,  apparently  asleep,  and  that  he  was  a  soldier  in  uni- 
form.     Balla  stepped  inside. 

"  Is  he  dead?"  asked  both  boys  as  Balla  caught  him  by 
the  arms,  lifted  him,  and  let  him  fall  again  limp  on  the 
floor. 

"  Nor,  he  's  dead-drunk,"  said  Balla,  picking  up  an  empty 
flask.  "  Come  on  out.  Let  me  see  what  I  gwi'  do  wid 
you?"  he  said,  scratching  his  head. 

"  I  know  what  I  gwi'  do  wid  you.  I  gwi'  lock  you  up 
right  whar  you   is." 

"  Uncle  Balla,  s'pose  he  gets  well,  won't  he  get  out  ?  " 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  27 


"  Ain'  /  g-wi'  lock  him  up  ?  Dat  's  good  from  you,  who 
was  jes'  gwi'  let  'im  out  ef  me  an'  Frank  had  n't  come  up 
when  we  did." 

Willy  stepped  back  abashed.  His  heart  accused  him 
and  told  him  the  charge  was  true.  Still  he  ventured  one 
more  question  : 

"  Had  n't  you  better  take  the  hens  out  ?  " 

"  Nor  ;  't  ain'  no  use  to  teck  nuttin'  out  dyah.  Ef  he 
comes  to,  he  know  we  got  im,  an'  he  dyahson'  trouble 
nuttin'." 

And  the  old  man  pushed  to  the  door  and  fastened  the 
iron  hasp  over  the  strong  staple.  Then,  as  the  lock  had 
been  broken,  he  took  a  large  nail  from  his  pocket  and  fast- 
ened it  in  the  staple  with  a  stout  string  so  that  it  could  not 
be  shaken  out.  All  the  time  he  was  working  he  was  talking 
to  the  boys,  or  rather  to  himself,  for  their  benefit. 

"  Now,  you  see  ef  we  don'  find  him  heah  in  the  mornin'  ! 
Willy  jes'  gwi'  let  you  get  'way,  but  a  man  got  you  now, 
wha'ar'  been  handlin'  horses  an'  know  how  to  hole  'em  in  the 
stalls.  I  boun'  he  '11  have  to  butt  like  a  ram  to  git  out  dis 
log  hen-house,"  he  said,  finally,  as  he  finished  tying  the  last 
knot  in  his  string,  and  gave  the  door  a  vigorous  rattle  to 
test  its  strength. 

Willy  had  been  too  much  abashed  at  his  mistake  to  fully 
appreciate  all  of  the  witticisms  over  the  prisoner,  but  Frank 
enjoyed  them  almost  as  much  as  Unc'  Balla  himself. 

"  Now  y'  all  go  'long  to  bed,   an'   I   '11  go  back  an'  teck 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


a  little  nap  myself,"  said  he,  in  parting.  "  Ef  he  gits  out 
that  hen-house  I  '11  give  you  ev'y  chicken  I  got.  But  he  ain' 
gwinc  git  out.      A  mail  s  clone  fasten  him  up  dyah." 

The  boys  went  off  to  bed,  Willy  still  feeling  depressed 
over  his  ridiculous  rhistake.  They  were  soon  fast  asleep, 
and  if  the  dogs  barked  again  they  did  not  hear  them. 

The  next  thing  they  knew,  Lucy  Ann,  convulsed  with 
laughter,  was  telling  them  a  story  about  Uncle  Balla  and 
the  man  in  the  hen-house.  They  jumped  up,  and  pulling 
on  their  clothes  ran  out  in  the  yard,  thinking  to  see  the 
prisoner. 

Instead  of  doing  so,  they  found  Uncle  Balla  standing  by 
the  hen-house  with  a  comical  look  of  mystification  and  cha- 
grin ;  the  roof  had  been  lifted  off  at  one  end  and  not  only  the 
prisoner,  but  every  chicken  was  gone  ! 

The  boys  were  half  inclined  to  cry;  Balla's  look,  however, 
set  them  to  laughing. 

"  Unc'  Balla,  you  got  to  give  me  every  chicken  you  got, 
'cause  you  said  you  would,"  said  Willy. 

"  Go  'way  from  heah.  boy.  Don'  pester  me  when  I 
studyin'  to  see  which  way  he  got  out." 

"  You  ain't  never  had  a  horse  get  through  the  roof  be- 
fore, have  you  ?  "  said  Frank. 

"  Go  'way  from  here.  I  tell  you,"  said  the  old  man,  walk- 
ing around  the  house,  looking  at  it. 

As  the  boys  went  back  to  wash  and  dress  themselves,  they 
heard   Balla  explaining  to   Lucy  Ann  and  some  of  the  other 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  29. 


servants  that  "the  man  them  chillern  let  git  away  had  just 
come  back  and  tooken  out  the  one  he  had  locked  up  "  ;  a 
solution  of  the  mystery  he  always  stoutly  insisted  upon. 

One  thing,  however,  the  person's  escape  effected — it  pre- 
vented Willy's  ever  hearing  any  more  of  his  mistake  ;  but 
that  did  not  keep  him  now  and  then  from  asking  Uncle  Balla 
"if  he  had  fastened  his  horses  well." 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THESE  hens  were  not  the  last  things  stolen  from  Oak- 
land. Nearly  all  the  men  in  the  country  had  gone 
with  the  army.  Indeed,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
overseers  who  remained  to  work  the  farms,  every  man  in  the 
neighborhood,  between  the  ages  of  seventeen  and  fifty,  was  in 
the  army.  The  country  was  thus  left  almost  wholly  unpro- 
tected, and  it  would  have  been  entirely  so  but  for  the  "  Home 
Guard."  as  it  was  called,  which  was  a  company  composed  of 
young  boys  and  the  few  old  men  who  remained  at  home,  and 
who  had  volunteered  for  service  as  a  local  guard,  or  police 
body,  for  the  neighborhood  of  their  homes. 

Occasionally,  too,  later  on,  a  small  detachment  of  men, 
under  a  leader  known  as  a  "conscript-officer,"  would  come 
through  the  country  hunting  for  any  men  who  were  subject 
to  the  conscript  law  but  who  had  evaded  it,  and  for  deserters 
who  had  run  away  from  the  army  and  refused  to  return. 

These  two  classes  of  troops,  however,  stood  on  a  very 
different  footing.  The  Home  Guard  was  regarded  with  much 
respect,  for  it  was  composed  of  those  whose  extreme  age  or 
youth  alone  withheld  them  from  active  service  ;  and  every 
youngster  in  its  ranks  looked  upon  it  as  a  training  school, 
and  was  ready  to  die  in  defence  of  his  home  if  need  were, 


TIVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  31 

and,  besides,  expected  to  obtain  permission  to  go  into  the 
army  "  next  year." 

The  conscript-guard,  on  the  other  hand,  were  grown  men, 
and  were  thought  to  be  shirking  the  very  dangers  and  hard- 
ships into  which  they  were  trying  to  force  others. 

A  few  miles  from  Oais:land,  on  the  side  toward  the  moun- 
tain road  and  beyond  the  big  woods,  lay  a  district  of  virgin 
forest  and  old-field  pines  which,  even  before  the  war,  had 
acquired  a  reputation  of  an  unsavory  nature,  though  its  in- 
habitants were  a  harmless  people.  No  highways  ran  through 
this  region,  and  the  only  roads  which  entered  it  were  mere 
wood-ways,  filled  with  bushes  and  carpeted  with  pine-tags  ; 
and,  being  travelled  only  by  the  inhabitants,  appeared  to  out- 
siders "to  jes'  peter  out,"  as  the  phrase  went.  This  territory 
was  known  by  the  unpromising  name  of  Holetown. 

Its  denizens  were  a  peculiar  but  kindly  race  known  to  the 
boys  as  "  poor  white  folks,"  and  called  by  the  negroes,  with 
great  contempt,  "po'  white  trash."  Some  of  them  owned 
small  places  in  the  pines  ;  but  the  majority  were  simply  ten- 
ants. They  were  an  inoffensive  people,  and  their  worst 
vices  were  intemperance  and  evasion  of  the  tax-laws. 

They  made  their  living — or  rather,  they  existed— by  fish- 
ing and  hunting  ;  and,  to  eke  it  out,  attempted  the  cultivation 
of  little  patches  of  corn  and  tobacco  near  their  cabins,  or  in 
the  bottoms  where  small  branches  ran  into  the  stream  already 
mentioned. 

In  appearance  they  were  usually  so  thin  and  sallow  that 


TIVO   LIITLE   CONFEDERATES. 


one  had  to  look  at  them  twice  to  see  them  clearly.  At  best, 
they  looked  vague  and  illusive. 

They  were  brave  enough.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
nearly  all  of  the  men  in  this  community  enlisted,  thinking,  as 
many  others  did,  that  war  was  more  like  play  than  work, 
and  consisted  more  of  resting  than  of  laboring.  Although 
most  of  them,  when  in  battle,  showed  the  greatest  fearless- 
ness, yet  the  duties  of  camp  soon  became  irksome  to  them, 
and  they  grew  sick  of  the  restraint  and  drilling  of  camp-life  ; 
so  some  of  them,  when  refused  a  furlough,  took  it,  and  came 
home.  Others  stayed  at  home  after  leave  had  ended,  feeling 
secure  in  their  stretches  of  pine  and  swamp,  not  only  from 
the  feeble  efforts  of  the  conscript-guard,  but  from  any  parties 
who  might  be  sent  in  search  of  them. 

In  this  way  it  happened,  as  time  went  by,  that  Hole- 
town  became  known  to  harbor  a  number  of  deserters. 

According  to  the  negroes,  it  was  full  of  them  ;  and  many 
stories  were  told  about  glimpses  of  men  dodging  behind  trees 
in  the  big  woods,  or  rushing  away  through  the  underbrush  like 
wild  cattle.  And,  though  the  grown  people  doubted  whether 
the  negroes  had  not  been  startled  by  some  of  the  hogs,  which 
were  quite  wild,  feeding  in  the  woods,  the  boys  were  satisfied 
that  the  negroes  really  had  seen  deserters. 

This  became  a  certainty  when  there  came  report  after 
report  of  these  wood-skulkers,  and  when  the  conscript-guard, 
with  the  brightest  of  uniforms,  rode  by  with  as  much  show  and 
noise  as  if  on  a  fox-hunt.     Then  it  became  known  that  desert- 


TIVO  LITTLE  CONFEDERATES.  ■       33 

ers  were,  indeed,  Infesting  the  piny  district  of  Holetown,  and 
in  considerable  numbers. 

Some  of  them,  it  was  said,  were  pursuing  agricuhure  and 
all  their  ordinary  vocations  as  openly  as  In  time  of  peace,  and 
more  industriously.  They  had  a  regular  code  of  signals,  and 
nearly  every  person  in  the  Holetown  settlement  was  In  league 
with  them. 

When  the  conscript-guard  came  along,  there  would  be  a 
rush  of  tow-headed  children  through  the  woods,  or  some  of 
the  women  about  the  cabins  would  blow  a  horn  lustily  ;  after 
which  not  a  man  could  be  found  In  all  the  district.  The  horn 
told  just  how  many  men  were  In  the  guard,  and  which  path 
they  were  following ;  every  member  of  the  troop  being 
honored  with  a  short,  quick  "  toot." 

''What  are  you  blowing  that  horn  for?"  sternly  asked 
the  guard  one  morning  of  an  old  woman, — old  Mrs.  Hall, 
who  stood  out  in  front  of  her  little  house  blowing  like  Boreas 
in  the  pictures. 

"Jes'  blowin'  fur  Milllndy  to  come  to  dinner,"  she  said, 
sullenly.  "  Can't  y'  all  let  a  po'  'ooman  call  her  gals  to  git 
some 'n'  to  eat  ?  You  got  all  her  boys  In  d'army,  klllln'  'em  ; 
why  n't  yo'  go  and  git  kilt  some  yo'self,  'stidder  ridin'  'bout 
heah  tromplin'  all  over  po'  folk's  chickens  ?  " 

When  the  troop  returned  In  the  evening,    she  was    still 

blowing  ;  "  blowin'  fur  Milllndy  to  come  home,"  she  said,  with 

more  sharpness  than  before.     But  there  must  have  been  many 

Millindys,  for  horns  were  sounding  all  through  the  settlement. 

3 


34 


riVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


The  deserters,  at  such  times,  were  said  to  take  to  the 
swamps,  and  marvellous  rumors  were  abroad  of  one  or  more 
caves,  all  fitted  up,  wherein  they  concealed  themselves,  like 
the  robbers  in  the  stories  the  boys  were  so  fond  of  reading. 

After  a  while  thefts  of  pigs  and  sheep  became  so  common 
that  they  were  charged  to  the  deserters. 

Finally  it  grew  to  be  such  a  pest  that  the  ladies  in  the 
neighborhood  asked  the  Home  Guard  to  take  action  in  the 
matter,  and  after  some  delay  it  became  known  that  this  valor- 
ous body  was  going  to  invade  Holetown  and  capture  the 
deserters  or  drive  them  away.  Hugh  was  to  accompany 
them,  of  course  ;  and  he  looked  very  handsome,  as  well  as 
very  important,  when  he  started  out  on  horseback  to  join  the 
troop.  It  was  his  first  active  service  ;  and  with  his  trousers 
in  his  boots  and  his  pistol  in  his  belt  he  looked  as  brave  as 
Julius  Caesar,  and  quite  laughed  at  his  mother's  fears  for  him, 
as  she  kissed  him  good-bye  and  walked  out  with  him  to  his 
horse,  which  Balla  held  at  the  gate. 

The  boys  asked  leave  to  go  with  him  ;  but  Hugh  was  so 
scornful  over  their  request,  and  looked  so  soldierly  as  he 
galloped  away  with  the  other  men  that  the  boys  felt  as  cheap 
as  possible. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

WHEN  the  boys  went  into  the  house  they  found  that 
their  Aunt  Mary  had  a  headache  that  morning,  and, 
even  with  the  best  intentions  of  doing  her  duty  in 
teaching  them,  had  been  forced  to  go  to  bed.  Their  mother 
was  too  much  occupied  with  her  charge  of  providing  for  a 
family  of  over  a  dozen  white  persons,  and  five  times  as  many 
colored  dependents,  to  give  any  time  to  acting  as  substitute 
in  the  school-room,  so  the  boys  found  themselves  with  a  holi- 
day before  them.  It  seemed  vain  to  try  to  shoot  duck  on 
the  creek,  and  the  perch  were  averse  to  biting.  The  boys 
accordingly  determined  to  take  both  guns  and  to  set  out  for  a 
real  hunt  in  the  big  woods. 

They  received  their  mother's  permission,  and  after  a  lunch 
was  prepared  they  started  in  high  glee,  talking  about  the 
squirrels  and  birds  they  expected  to  kill. 

Frank  had  his  gun,  and  Willy  had  the  musket  ;  and  both 
carried  a  plentiful  supply  of  powder  and  some  tolerably  round 
slugs  made  from  cartridges. 

They  usually  hunted  in  the  part  of  the  woods  nearest  the 
house,  and  they  knew  that  game  was  not  very  abundant  there  ; 
so,  as  a  good  long  day  was  before  them,  they  determined  to 
cro  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  woods. 


36  2 WO   LIITLE   CONFEDERATES. 

They  according^ly  pushed  on,  taking  a  path  which  led 
through  the  forest.  They  went  entirely  through  the  big 
woods  without  seeing  anything  but  one  squirrel,  and  presently 
found  themselves  at  the  extreme  edge  of  Holetown.  They 
were  just  grumbling  at  the  lack  of  game  when  they  heard  a 
distant  horn.  The  sound  came  from  perhaps  a  mile  or  more 
away,  but  was  quite  distinct. 

"  What  's  that  ?  Somebody  fox-hunting  ? — or  is  it  a 
dinner-horn?''  asked  Willy,  listening  intently. 

"  It 's  a  horn  to  warn  deserters,  that  's  what  't  is,"  said 
Frank,  pleased  to  show  his  superior  knowledge. 

"  I  tell  you  what  to  do  : — let 's  go  and  hunt  deserters," 
said  Willy,  eagerly. 

"All  right.  Won't  that  be  fun  !"  and  both  boys  set  out 
down  the  road  toward  a  point  where  they  knew  one  of  the 
paths  ran  into  the  pine-district,  talking  of  the  numbers  of 
prisoners  they  expected  to  take. 

In  an  instant  they  were  as  alert  and  eager  as  young 
hounds  on  a  trail.  They  had  mapped  out  a  plan  before,  and 
they  knew  exactly  what  they  had  to  do.  Frank  was  the  cap- 
tain, by  right  of  his  being  older;  and  Willy  was  lieutenant, 
and  was  to  obey  orders.  The  chief  thing  that  troubled  them 
was  that  they  did  not  wish  to  be  seen  by  any  of  the  women 
or  children  about  the  cabins,  for  they  all  knew  the  boys, 
because  they  were  accustomed  to  come  to  Oakland  for  sup- 
plies ;  then,  too,  the  boys  wished  to  remain  on  friendly  terms 
with  their  neighbors.      Another  thing  worried  them.     They 


Tiro   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  37 

did  not  know  what  to  do  with  their  prisoners  after  they 
should  have  captured  them.  However,  they  pushed  on  and 
soon  came  to  a  dim  cart-way,  which  ran  at  right-angles  to 
the  main  road  and  which  went  into  the  very  heart  of  Hole- 
town.  Here  they  halted  to  reconnoitre  and  to  inspect  their 
weapons. 

Even  from  the  main  road,  the  track,  as  it  led  off  through 
the  overhanging  woods  with  thick  underbrush  of  chinquapin 
bushes,  appeared  to  the  boys  to  have  something  strange 
about  it,  though  they  had  at  other  times  walked  it  from  end 
to  end.  Still,  they  entered  boldly,  clutching  their  guns. 
Willy  suggested  that  they  should  go  in  Indian  file  and  that 
the  rear  one  should  step  in  the  other's  footprints  as  the 
Indians  do  ;  'but  Frank  thought  it  was  best  to  walk  abreast, 
as  the  Indians  walked  in  their  peculiar  way  only  to  prevent 
an  enemy  who  crossed  their  trail  from  knowing  how  many 
they  were  ;  and,  so  far  from  it  being  any  disadvantage  for  the 
deserters  to  know  tlieii^  number,  it  was  even  better  that  they 
should  know  there  were  two,  so  that  they  would  not  attack 
from  the  rear.  Accordingly,  keeping  abreast,  they  struck  in  ; 
each  taking  the  woods  on  one  side  of  the  road,  which  he  was 
to  watch  and  for  which  he  was  to  be  responsible. 

The  farther  they  went  the  more  indistinct  the  track  be- 
came, and  the  wilder  became  the  surrounding  woods.  They 
proceeded  with  great  caution,  examining  every  particularly 
thick  clump  of  bushes ;  peeping  behind  each  very  large  tree  ; 
and  occasionally  even  taking  a  glance  up  among  its  boughs  ; 


38  Tlf'O   LITTLE   CONFEDERAl ES. 


for  they  had  themselves  so  often  planned  how,  If  pursued, 
they  would  climb  trees  and  conceal  themselves,  that  they 
would  not  have  been  at  all  surprised  to  find  a  fierce  deserter, 
armed  to  the  teeth,  crouching  among  the  branches. 

Though  they  searched  carefully  every  spot  where  a 
deserter  could  possibly  lurk,  they  passed  through  the  oak 
woods  and  were  deep  in  the  pines  without  having  seen  any 
foe  or  heard  a  noise  which  could  possibly  proceed  from  one. 
A  squirrel  had  daringly  leaped  from  the  trunk  of  a  hickory- 
tree  and  run  into  the  woods,  right  before  them,  stopping  im- 
pudently to  take  a  good  look  at  them  ;  but  they  were  hunting 
larger  game  than  squirrels,  and  they  resisted  the  temptation 
to  take  a  shot  at  him, — an  exercise  of  virtue  wliich  brought 
them  a  distinct  feeling  of  pleasure.  They  were,  however, 
beginning  to  be  embarrassed  as  to  their  next  course.  They 
could  hear  the  dogs  barking,  farther  on  in  the  pines,  and 
knew  they  were  approaching  the  vicinity  of  the  settlement  ; 
for  they  had  crossed  the  little  creek  which  ran  through  a 
thicket  of  elder  bushes  and  "  gums,"  and  which  marked  the 
boundary  of  Holetown.  Little  paths,  too,  every  now  and 
then  turned  off  from  the  main  track  and  went  into  the  pines, 
each  leading  to  a  cabin  or  bit  of  creek-bottom  deeper  in. 
They  therefore  were  in  a  real  dilemma  concerning  what  to 
do;  and  Willy's  suggestion,  to  eat  lunch,  was  a  welcome  one. 
They  determined  to  go  a  little  way  into  the  woods,  where 
they  could  not  be  seen,  and  had  just  taken  the  lunch  out 
of  the  game-bag  and  were  turning  into  a  by-path,  when  they 


TIVO    LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


39 


met  a  man  who  was  coming-  along  at  a  slow,  louno-jno-  walk, 
and  carrying  a  long  single-barrelled  shot-gun  across  his  arm. 

When  first  they  heard  him,  they  thought  he  might  be  a 
deserter;  but  when    he   came   nearer  they  saw   that   he  was 
simply  a  countryman  out  hunting  ;  for  his  old  game-bag  (from 
which  peeped  a  squirrel's  tail)  was  over  his  shoulder,  and  he 
had  no  weapon  at  all,  excepting  that  old  squirrel-gun. 
"  Good  morning,  sir,"  said  both  boys,  politely. 
"Mornin!     What    luck    y'    all    had?"     he    asked    o-ood- 
naturedly,  stopping  and  putting  the  butt  of  his  gun   on  the  ' 
ground,  and  resting  lazily  on  it,  preparatory  to  a  chat. 
"  We're  not  hunting;  we're  hunting  deserters." 
"  Huntin'  deserters  !  "  echoed  the  man  with  a  smile  which 
broke  into  a  chuckle  of  amusement  as  the  thought  worked  its 
way  into  his  brain.      "  Ain't  you  see'  none  ?" 

"  No,"  said  both  boys  in  a  breath,  greatly  pleased  at  his 
friendliness.  "  Do  you  know  where  any  are?" 
The  man  scratched  his  head,  seeming  to  reflect. 
"  Well,  'pears  to  me  I  hearn  tell  o'  some,  'roun'  to'des 
that-a-ways,"  making  a  comprehensive  sweep  of  his  arm  in  the 
direction  just  opposite  to  that  which  the  boys  were  taking. 
"I  seen  the  conscrip'-guard  a  little  while  ago  pokin'  'roun' 
this-a-way  ;  but  Lor',  that  ain'  the  way  to  ketch  deserters.  I 
knows  every  foot  o'  groun'  this-a-way,  an'  ef  they  was  any 
deserters  roun'  here  I'd  be  mighty  apt  to  know  it." 

This  announcement  was  an  extinguisher  to  the  boys'  hopes. 
Clearly,  they  were  going  in  the  wrong  direction. 


40  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

■'  We  are  just  going  to  eat  our  lunch,"  said  Frank ; 
"  won't  you  join  us  ?  " 

Willy  added  his  invitation  to  his  brother's,  and  their 
friend  politely  accepted,  suggesting  that  they  should  walk 
back  a  little  way  and  find  a  log.  This  all  three  did  ;  and  in  a 
few  minutes  they  were  enjoying  the  lunch  which  the  boys' 
mother  had  provided,  while  the  stranger  was  telling  the  boys 
his  views  about  deserters,  which,  to  say  the  least,  were  very 
original. 

"  I  seen  the  conscrip'-guard  jes'  this  mornin',  ridin'  'round 
whar  they  knowd  they  war  n'  no  deserters,  but  ole  womens 
and  children,"  he  said-  with  his  mouth  full.  "  Why  n't  they 
go  whar  they  knows  deserters  ?s  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Where  are  they  ?  We  heard  they  had  a  cave  down  on 
the  river,  and  we  were  going  there,"  declared  the  boys. 

"Down  on  the  river? — a  cave?  Ain'  no  cave  down  thar, 
without  it 's  below  Rockett's  mill  ;  fur  I  've  hunted  and  fished 
ev'y  foot  o'  that  river  up  an'  down  both  sides,  an'  t'  ain'  a  hole 
thar,  big  enough  to  hide  a'  ole  hyah,  I  ain'  know." 

This  proof  was  too  conclusive  to  admit  of  further  argu- 
ment. 

"Why  don  t  y  071  go  in  the  army?"  asked  Willy,  after  a 
brief  reflection. 

"What?  Why  don't  /  go  in  the  army?"  repeated  the 
hunter.  "  Why,  I's  i7i  the  army  !  You  did  n'  think  I  war  n't 
in  the  army,  did  you  ?" 

The  hunter's  tone  and  the  expression  of   his  face  were  so 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  41 

full  of  surprise  that  Willy  felt  deeply  mortified  at  his  rude- 
ness, and  began  at  once  to  stammer  something  to  explain 
himself. 

"  I  b'longs  to  Colonel  Marshall's  regiment,"  continued  the 
man,  "  an'  I  's  been  home  sick  on  leave  o'  absence.  Got 
wounded  in  the  leg,  an'  I  's  jes'  gettin'  well.  I  ain'  rightly 
well  enough  to  go  back  now,  but  I  's  anxious  to  git  back  ; 
I  'm  gwine  to-morrow  mornin'  ef  I  don'  go  this  evenin'.  You 
see  I  kin  hardly  walk  now!"  and  to  demonstrate  his  lame- 
ness, he  got  up  and  limped  a  few  yards.  "  I  ain'  well  yit,"  he 
pursued,  returning  and  dropping  into  his  seat  on  the  log,  with 
his  face  drawn  up  by  the  pain  the  exertion  had  brought  on. 

"  Let  me  see  your  wound.  Is  it  sore  now?"  asked  Willy, 
moving  nearer  to  the  man  with  a  look  expressive  of  mingled 
curiosity  and  sympathy. 

"  You  can't  see  it  ;  it  's  up  heah,"  said  the  soldier,  touch- 
ing the  upper  part  of  his  hip  ;  "  an'  I  got  another  one  heah," 
he  added,  placing  his  hand  very  gently  to  his  side.  "  This 
one's  whar  a  Yankee  run  me  through  with  his  sword.-  Now, 
that  one  was  where  a  piece  of  shell  hit  me, — I  don't  keer 
nothin'  'bout  that,"  and  he  opened  his  shirt  and  showed  a  tri- 
angular, purple  scar  on  his  shoulder. 

"  You  certainly  must  be  a  brave  soldier,"  exclaimed  both 
boys,  impressed  at  sight  of  the  scar,  their  voices  softened  by 
fervent  admiration. 

"  Yes,  I  kep'  up  with  the  bes'  of  'em,"  he  said,  with  a 
pleased  smile. 


42  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

Suddenly  a  horn  beg'an  to  blow,  "  toot — toot — toot,"  as 
if  all  the  "Mlllindys"  in  the  world  were  being  summoned. 
It  was  so  near  the  boys  that  it  quite  startled  them. 

"  That  's  for  the  deserters,  now,"  they  both  exclaimed. 

Their  friend  looked  calmly  up  and  down  the  road,  both 
ways. 

"  Them  rascally  conscrip'-guard  been  tellin'  you  all  that, 
to  gi'  'em  some  excuse  for  keepin'  out  o'  th'  army  theyselves 
— that  's  all.  Th'  ain'  gwine  ketch  no  deserters  any  whar  in 
all  these  parts,  an'  you  kin  tell  'em  so.  I  'm  gwine  down  thar 
an'  see  what  that  horn  's  a-blown'  fur  ;  hit  's  somebody's 
dinner  horn,  or  somp'n',"  he  added,  rising  and  taking  up  his 
game-bag. 

"  Can't  we  go  with  you  ?  "  asked  the  boys. 

"  Well,  nor,  I  reckon  you  better  not,"  he  drawled  ;  "  thar 
's  some  right  bad  dogs  down  thar  in  the  pines, — mons'us 
bad  ;  an'  I  's  gwine  cut  through  the  woods  an'  see  ef  I  can't 
pick  up  a  squ'rr'l,  gwine  'long,  for  the  ole  'ooman's  supper, 
as  I  got  to  go  'way  to-night  or  to-morrow  ;  she  's  mighty 
poorly." 

"  Is  she  poorly  much  ?  "  asked  Willy,  greatly  concerned. 
"  We  '11  get  mamma  to  come  and  see  her  to-morrow,  and 
bring  her  some  bread." 

"  Nor,  she  ain'  so  sick  ;  that  is  to  say,  she  jis'  poorly  and 
'sturbed  in  her  mind.  She  gittin'  sort  o'  old.  Here,  y'  all 
take  these  squ'rr'ls,"  he  said,  taking  the  squirrels  from  his  old 
game-bag  and  tossing  them  at  Willy's  feet.      Both  boys  pro- 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  43 

tested,  but  he  insisted.  "  Oh,  yes  ;  I  kin  get  some  mo'  fur 
her." 

"  Y'  all  better  go  home.  Well,  good-by,  much  obliged  to 
you,"  and  he  strolled  off  with  his  gun  in  the  bend  of  his  arm, 
leaving  the  boys  to  admire  and  talk  over  his  courage. 

They  turned  back,  and  had  gone  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  when  they  heard  a  great  trampling  of  horses  behind 
them.  They  stopped  to  listen,  and  in  a  little  while  a  squad- 
ron of  cavalry  came  in  sight.  The  boys  stepped  to  one  side 
of  the  road  to  wait  for  them,  eager  to  tell  the  important  in- 
formation they  had  received  from  their  friend,  that  there  were 
no  deserters  in  that  section.  In  a  hurried  consultation  they 
agreed  not  to  tell  that  they  had  been  hunting  deserters 
themselves,  as  they  knew  the  soldiers  would  only  have  a 
laugh  at  their  expense. 

"  Hello,  boys,  what  luck  ?"  called  the  officer  in  the  lead, 
in  a  friendly  manner. 

They  told  him  they  had  not  shot  anything  ;  that  the 
squirrels  had  been  given  to  them  ;  and  then  both  boys  in- 
quired : 

"  You  all  hunting  for  deserters  ?  " 

"  You  seen  any  ?  "  asked  the  leader,  carelessly,  while  one 
or  two  men  pressed  their  horses  forward  eagerly. 

"  No,  th'  ain't  any  deserters  in  this  direction  at  all,"  said 
the  boys,  with  conviction  in  their  manner. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?"  asked  the  officer. 

"'Cause  a  grentleman  told  us  so." 


44  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDFRATES. 

"  Who  ?     When  ?     What  gentleman  ? " 

"  A  gentleman  who  met  us  a  little  while  ago." 

"  How  long  ago  ?     Who  was  he?  " 

"  Don't  know  who  he  was,"  said  Frank. 

"  When  we  were  eating  our  snack,"  put  in  Willy,  not  to 
be  left  out. 

"  How  was  he  dressed  ?  Where  was  it  ?  What  sort  of 
man  was  he  ?  "  eagerly  inquired  the  leading  trooper. 

The  boys  proceeded  to  describe  their  friend,  impressed 
by  the  intense  interest  accorded  them  by  the  listeners. 

"He  was  a  sort  of  a  man  with  red  hair,  and  wore  a  pair 
of  gray  breeches  and  an  old  pair  of  shoes,  and  was  in  his 
shirt-sleeves."      Frank  was  the  spokesman. 

"And  he  had  a  gun — a  long  squirrel-gun,"  added 
Willy,  "and  he  said  he  belonged  to  Colonel  Marshall's  regi- 
ment." 

"Why,  that  's  Tim  Mills.  He  's  a  deserter  himself," 
exclaimed  the  captain. 

"  No,  he  ain't — he  ain't  any  deserter,"  protested  both  at 
once.  "  He  is  a  mighty  brave  soldier,  and  he  's  been  home 
on  a  furlough  to  get  well  of  a  wound  on  his  leg  where  he 
was  shot." 

"Yes,  and  it  ain't  well  yet,  but  he  's  going  back  to  his 
command  to-night  or  to-morrow  morning  ;  and  he's  got 
another  wound  in  his  side  where  a  Yankee  ran  him  through 
with  his  sword.     We  know  he  ain't  any  deserter." 

"  How  do  you  know  all  this  ?  ''  asked  the  ofificer. 


TWO   LITTLE   COATFEDERATES.  45 


"  He  told  us  so  himself,  just  now — a  little  while  ago,  that 
is,"  said  the  boys. 

The  man  laughed. 

"  Why,  he  's  fooled  you  to  death.  That  's  Tim  himself, 
that  's  been  doing  all  the  devilment  about  here.  He  is  the 
worst  deserter  in  the  whole  gang." 

"  We  saw  the  wound  on  his  shoulder,"  declared  the  boys, 
still  doubting. 

"  I  know  it  ;  he  's  got  one  there, — that  's  what  I  know 
him  by.  Which  way  did  he  go,— and  how  long  has  it 
been  ?  " 

"He  went  that  way,  down  in  the  woods  ;  and  it  's  been 
some  time.      He  's  got  away  now." 

The  lads  by  this  time  were  almost  convinced  of  their 
mistake  ;  but  they  could  not  prevent  their  sympathy  from 
being  on  the  side  of  their  late  agreeable  companion. 

"  We'll  catch  the  rascal,"  declared  the  leader,  very  fiercely. 
"  Come  on,  men, — he  can't  have  gone  far  ;  "  and  he  wheeled 
his  horse  about  and  dashed  back  up  the  road  at  a  great  pace, 
followed  by  his  men.  The  boys  were  half  inclined  to  follow 
and  aid  in  the  capture  ;  but  Frank,  after  a  moment's  thought, 
said  solemnly  : 

"  No,  Willy  ;  an  Arab  never  betrays  a  man  who  has  eaten 
his  salt.  This  man  has  broken  bread  with  us  ;  we  cannot 
give  him  up.  I  don't  think  we  ought  to  have  told  about  him 
as  much  as  we  did." 

This  was  an  argument  not  to  be  despised. 


46  TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

A  little  later,  as  the  boys  trudged  home,  they  heard  the 
horns  blowing  again  a  regular  "toot-toot"  for  "  Millindy." 
It  struck  them  that  supper  followed  dinner  very  quickly  in 
Holetown. 

When  the  troop  passed  by  in  the  evening  the  men  w^ere 
in  very  bad  humor.  They  had  had  a  fruitless  addition  to 
their  ride,  and  some  of  them  were  inclined  to  say  that  the 
boys  had  never  seen  any  man  at  all,  which  the  boys  thought 
was  pretty  silly,  as  the  man  had  eaten  at  least  two-thirds  of 
their  lunch. 

Somehow  the  story  got  out,  and  Hugh  was  very  scornful 
because  the  boys  had  given  their  lunch  to  a  deserter.     ^ 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

AS  time  went  by  the  condition  of  things  at  Oakland 
changed — as  it  did  everywhere  else.  The  boys'  mother, 
like  all  the  other  ladies  of  the  country,  was  so  devoted 
to  the  cause  that  she  gave  to  the  soldiers  until  there  was 
nothing  left.  After  that  there  was  a  failure  of  the  crops,  and 
the  immediate  necessities  of  the  family  and  the  hands  on  the 
place  were  great. 

There  was  no  sugar  nor  coffee  nor  tea.  These  luxuries 
had  been  given  up  long  before.  An  attempt  was  made  to 
manufacture  sugar  out  of  the  sorghum,  or  sugar-cane,  which 
was  now  being  cultivated  as  an  experiment  ;  but  it  proved 
unsuccessful,  and  molasses  made  from  the  cane  was  the  only 
sweetening.  The  boys,  however,  never  liked  anything  sweet- 
ened with  molasses,  so  they  gave  up  everything  that  h|jd 
molasses  in  it.  Sassafras  tea  was  tried  as  a  substitute  for  tea, 
and  a  drink  made  out  of  parched  corn  and  wheat,  of  burnt 
sweet  potato  and  other  things,  in  the  place  of  coffee  ;  but 
none  of  them  were  fit  to  drink — at  least  so  the  boys  thought. 
The  wheat  crop  proved  a  failure  ;  but  the  corn  turned  out 
very  fine,  and  the  boys  learned  to  live  on  corn  bread,  as  there 
was  no  wheat  bread. 

The  soldiers  still  came  by,  and  the  house  was  often  full  of 


48  ni'O  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

young  officers  who  came  to  see  the  boys'  cousins.  The  boys 
used  to  ride  the  horses  to  and  from  the  stables,  and,  being 
perfectly  fearless,  became  very  fine  riders. 

Several  times,  among  the  visitors,  came  the  young  colonel 
who  had  commanded  the  regiment  that  had  camped  at  the 
bridge  the  first  year  of  the  war.  It  did  not  seem  to  the  boys 
that  Cousin  Belle  liked  him,  for  she  took  much  longer  to 
dress  when  he  came  ;  and  if  there  were  other  officers  present 
she  would  take  very  little  notice  of  the  colonel. 

Both  boys  were  in  love  with  her,  and  after  considerable 
hesitation  had  written  her  a  joint  letter  to  tell  her  so,  at 
which  she  laughed  heartily  and  kissed  them  both  and  called 
them  her  sweethearts.  But,  though  they  were  jealous  of 
several  young  officers  who  came  from  time  to  time,  they  felt 
sorry  for  the  colonel, — their  cousin  was  so  mean  to  him.  They 
were  on  the  best  terms  with  him  and  had  announced  their 
intention  of  going  into  his  regiment  if  only  the  war  should 
last  long  enough.  When  he  came  there  was  always  a  scram- 
ble to  get  his  horse  ;  though  of  all  who  came  to  Oakland 
he  rode  the  wildest  horses,  as  both  boys  knew  by  practical 
experience. 

At  length  the  soldiers  moved  off  too  far  to  permit  them 
to  come  on  visits,  and  things  were  very  dull.  So  it  was  for  a 
long  while. 

But  one  evening  in  May,  about  sunset,  as  the  boys  were 
playing  in  the  yard,  a  man  came  riding  through  the  place  on 
the  way  to  Richmond.      His  horse  showed  that  he  had  been 


TIVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  49 

riding  hard.  He  asked  the  nearest  way  to  "  Ground-Squirrel 
Bridge."  The  Yankees,  he  said,  were  coming.  It  was  a  raid. 
He  had  ridden  ahead  of  them,  and  had  left  them  about 
Greenbay  depot,  which  they  had  set  on  fire.  He  was  in  too 
great  a  hurry  to  stop  and  get  something  to  eat,  and  he  rode 
off,  leaving  much  excitement  behind  him  ;  for  Greenbay  was 
only  eight  miles  away,  and  Oakland  lay  right  between  two 
roads  to  Richmond,  down  one  or  the  other  of  which  the  party 
of  raiders  must  certainly  pass. 

It  was  the  first  time  the  boys  ever  saw  their  mother 
exhibit  so  much  emotion  as  she  then  did.  She  came  to  the 
door  and  called  : 

"  Balla,  come  here."  Her  voice  sounded  to  the  boys  a 
little  strained  and  troubled,  and  they  ran  up  the  steps  and 
stood  by  her.  Balla  came  to  the  portico,  and  looked  up 
with  an  air  of  inquiry.      He,  too,  showed  excitement. 

"  Balla,  I  want  you  to  know  that  if  you  wish  to  go,  you 
can  do  so." 

"  Hi,  Mistis "  began    Balla.  with  an  air  of  reproach  ; 

but  she  cut  him  short  and  kept  on. 

"  I  want  you  all  to  know  it."  She  was  speaking  now  so 
as  to  be  heard  by  the  cook  and  the  maids  who  were  standing 
about  the  yard  listening  to  her.  "  I  want  you  all  to  know  it 
— every  one  on  the  place  !  You  can  go  if  you  wish  ;  but,  if 
you  go,  you  can  never  come  back  !  " 

"  Hi,  Mistis,"  broke  in  Uncle  Balla,  "  whar  is  I  got  to  go  ? 
I  wuz  born  on  dis  place  an'  I  'spec'  to  die  here,  an'  be  buried 
4 


50  TWO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

light  yonder  ;  "  and  he  turned  and  pointed  up  to  the  dark 
clumps  of  trees  that  marked  the  graveyard  on  the  hill,  a 
half  mile  away,  where  the  colored  people  were  buried.  "  Dat 
I  does,"  he  affirmed  positively.  "  Y'  all  sticks  by  us,  and 
we  '11  stick  by  you." 

"  I  know  I  ain'  gwlne  nowhar  wid  no  Yankees  or  nothin'," 
said  Lucy  Ann,  in  an  undertone. 

"  Dee  tell  me  dee  got  hoofs  and  horns,"  laughed  one  of  the 
women  in  the  yard. 

The  boys'  mother  started  to  say  something  further  to 
Balla,  but  though  she  opened  her  lips,  she  did  not  speak  ;  she 
turned  suddenly  and  walked  into  the  house  and  into  her 
chamber,  where  she  shut  the  door  behind  her.  The  boys 
thought  she  was  angry,  but  when  they  softly  followed  her  a 
few  minutes  afterward,  she  got  up  hastily  from  where  she  had 
been  kneeling  beside  the  bed,  and  they  saw  that  she  had  been 
crying.  A  murmur  under  the  window  called  them  back  to 
the  portico.  It  had  begun  to  grow  dark  ;  but  a  bright  spot 
was  glowing  on  the  horizon,  and  on  this  every  one's  gaze  was 
fixed. 

"  Where  is  it,  Balla  ?  What  is  it  ? "  asked  the  boys'  mother, 
her  voice  no  longer  strained  and  harsh,  but  even  softer  than 
usual. 

"  It's  the  depot,  madam.  They  's  burnin'  it.  That  man 
told  me  they  was  burnin'  ev'ywhar  they  went." 

"  Will  they  be  here  to-night?"  asked  his  mistress. 

'*  No,   marm  ;  I   don'  hardly  think  they  will.      That  man 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  51 

said  they  could  n't  travel  more  than  thirty  miles  a  day  ;  but 
they  'ell  be  plenty  of  'em  here  to-morrow — to  breakfast."  He 
gave  a  nervous  sort  of  laugh.  « 

"  Here, — you  all  come  here,"  said  their  mistress  to  the 
servants.  She  went  to  the  smoke-house  and  unlocked  it. 
"  Go  in  there  and  get  down  the  bacon — take  a  piece,  each  of 
you."  A  great  deal  was  still  left.  "  Balla,  step  here."  She 
called  him  aside  and  spoke  earnestly  in  an  undertone. 

"  Yes  'm,  that  's  so ;  that  's  jes'  what  I  wuz  gwine  do,"  the 
boys  heard  him  say. 

Their  mother  sent  the  boys  out.  She  went  and  locked 
herself  in  her  room,  but  they  heard  her  footsteps  as  she 
turned  about  within,  and  now  and  then  they  heard  her  open- 
ing and  shutting  drawers  and  moving  chairs. 

In  a  little  while  she  came  out. 

''  Frank,  you  and  Willy  go  and  tell  Balla  to  come  to  the 
chamber  door.      He  may  be  out  in  the  stable." 

They  dashed  out,  proud  to  bear  so  important  a  message. 
They  could  not  find  him,  but  an  hour  later  they  heard  him 
coming  from  the  stable.  He  at  once  went  into  the  house. 
They  rushed  into  the  chamber,  where  they  found  the  door  of 
the  closet  open. 

"  Balla,  come  in  here,"  called  their  mother  from  within. 
"  Have  you  got  them  safe  ? "  she  asked. 

"Yes  'm  ;  jes'  as  safe  as  they  kin  be.  I  want  to  be  'bout 
here  when  they  come,  or  I  'd  go  down  an'  stay  whar  they  is." 

"  What  is  it  ? "  asked  the  boys. 


52  2IV0   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"Where  is  the  best  place  to  put  that?"  she  said,  pointing 
to  a  large,  strong  box  in  which,  they  knew,  the  finest  silver 
was  kept ;  indeed,  all  excepting  what  was  used  every  day  on 
the  table, 

"  Well,  I  declar',  Mistis,  that 's  hard  to  tell,"  said  the  old 
driver,   "without  it  's  in  the  stable." 

"They  may  burn  that  down." 

"  That 's  so  ;  you  might  bury  it  under  the  floor  of  the 
smoke-house  ?  " 

"  I  have  heard  that  they  always  look  for  silver  there," 
said  the  boys'  mother.  "  How  would  it  do  to  bury  it  in  the 
garden  ?" 

"That's  the  very  place  I  was  gwine  name,"  said  Balla, 
with  flattering  approval.  -  "  They  can't  burn  that  down,  and 
if  they  gwine  dig  for  it  then  they  '11  have  to  dig  a  long  time 
before  they  git  over  that  big  garden."  He  stooped  and  lifted 
up  one  end  of  the  box  to  test  its  weight. 

"  I  thought  of  the  other  end  of  the  flower-bed,  between 
the  big  rose-bush  and  the  lilac." 

"  That 's  the  very  place  I  had  in  my  mind,"  declared  the 
old  man.      "  They  won'  never  fine  it  dyah  ! " 

"  We  know  a  good  place,"  said  the  boys  both  together  ; 
"  it 's  a  heap  better  than  that.  It 's  where  we  bury  our  treas- 
ures when  we  play  '  Black-beard  the  Pirate.'" 

"Very  well,"  said  their  mother;  "I  don't  care  to  know 
where  it  is  until  after  to-morrow,  anyhow.  I  know  I  can  trust 
you,"  she  added,  addressing  Balla. 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  53 

"  Yes  'm,  you  know  dat,"  said  he,  simply.  "  I  '11  jes'  go 
an'  git  my  hoe." 

"  The  garden  hasn't  got  a  roof  to  it,  has  it,  Unc'  Balla  ?" 
asked  Willy,  quietly. 

"  Go  'way  from  here,  boy,"  said  the  old  man,  making  a 
sweep  at  him  with  his  hand.  "  That  boy  ain'  never  done 
talkin'  'bout  that  thing  yit,"  he  added,  with  a  pleased  laugh, 
to  his  mistress. 

"  And  you  ain't  ever  given  me  all  those  chickens  either," 
responded  Willy,  forgetting  his  grammar. 

"  Oh,  well,  I  'm  gwV  do  it  ;  ain't  you  hear  me  say  I  'm 
gwine  do  it  ?"  he  laughed  as  he  went  out. 

The  boys  were  too  excited  to  get  sleepy  before  the  silver 
was  hidden.  Their  mother  told  them  they  might  go  down 
into  the  garden  and  help  Balla,  on  condition  that  they  would 
not  talk. 

"  That 's  the  way  we  always  do  when  we  bury  the  treasure. 
Ain't  it,  Willy?"  asked  Frank. 

"If  a  man  speaks,  it's  death!"  declared  Willy,  slapping 
his  hand  on  his  side  as  if  to  draw  a  sword,  striking  a  theatri- 
cal attitude  and  speaking  in  a  deep  voice. 

"Give  the   'galleon'  to  us,"  said  Frank. 

"  No  ;  be  off  with  you,"  said  their  mother. 

"That  ain't  the  way,"  said  Frank.  "  A  pirate  never  digs 
the  hole  until  he  has  his  treasure  at  hand.  To  do  so  would 
prove  him  but  a  novice  ;  would  n't  it,  W^illy  ?" 

"  Well,  I  leave  it  all   to  you,  my  little    Buccaneers,"  said 


54  Tiro   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

their  mother,  laughing.  "  I'll  take  care  of  the  spoons  and 
forks  we  use  every  day.  I  '11  just  hide  them  away  in  a  hole 
somewhere." 

The  boys  started  off  after  Balla  with  a  shout,  but  remem- 
bered their  errand  and  suddenly  hushed  down  to  a  little 
squeal  of  delight  at  being  actually  engaged  in  burying  treas- 
ure— real  silver.  It  seemed  too  good  to  be  true,  and  withal 
there  was  a  real  excitement  about  it,  for  how  could  they  know 
but  that  some  one  might  watch  them  from  some  hiding-place, 
or  might  even  fire  into  them  as  they  worked  ? 

They  met  the  old  fellow  as  he  was  coming  from  the  car- 
riage-house with  a  hoe  and  a  spade  in  his  hands.  He  was  on 
his  way  to  the  garden  in  a  very  straightforward  manner,  but 
the  boys  made  him  understand  that  to  bury  treasure  it  was 
necessary  to  be  particularly  secret,  and  after  some  little 
grumbling,  Balla  humored  them. 

The  difficulty  of  getting  the  box  of  silver  out  of  the  house 
secretly,  whilst  all  the  family  were  up,  and  the  servants  were 
moving  about,  was  so  great  that  this  part  of  the  affair  had  to 
be  carried  on  in  a  manner  different  from  the  usual  programme 
of  pirates  of  the  first  water.  Even  the  boys  had  to  admit 
this  ;  and  they  yielded  to  old  Balla's  advice  on  this  point,  but 
made  up  for  it  by  additional  formality,  ceremony,  and  secrecy 
in  pointing  out  the  spot  where  the  box  was  to  be  hid. 

Old  Balla  was  quite  accustomed  to  their  games  and  fun — 
their  "pranks,"  as  he  called  them.  He  accordingly  yielded 
willingly  when  they  marched  him  to  a  point  at  the  lower  end 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  55 

of  the  yard,  on  the  opposite  side  from  the  garden,  and  left 
him.  But  he  was  inchned  to  give  trouble  when  they  both  re- 
appeared with  a  gun,  and  in  a  whisper  announced  that  they 
must  march  first  up  the  ditch  which  ran  by  the  spring  around 
the  foot  of  the  garden. 

"  Look  here,  boys ;  I  ain'  got  time  to  fool  with  you 
chillern,"  said  the  old  man.  "  Ain't  you  hear  your  ma  tell 
me  she  'pend  on  me  to  bury  that  silver  what  yo'  gran'ma  and 
gran'pa  used  to  eat  off  o' — an'  don'  wan'  nobody  to  know 
nothin'  'bout  it  ?  An'  y'  all  comin'  here  with  guns,  like  you 
huntin'  squ'rr'ls,  an'  now  talkin'  'bout  wadin'  in  the  ditch  !" 

'*  But,  Unc'  Balla,  that 's  the  way  all  buccaneers  do,"  pro- 
tested Frank. 

"  Yes,  buccaneers  always  go  by  water,"  said  Willy. 

"  And  we  can  stoop  in  the  ditch  and  come  in  at  the  far 
end  of  the  garden,  so  nobody  can  see  us,"  added  Frank. 

"  Bookanear  or  bookafar, — I  'se  gwine  in  dat  garden  and 
dig  a  hole  wid  my  hoe,  an'  I  is  too  ole  to  be  wadin'  in  a 
ditch  like  chillern.  I  got  the  misery  in  my  knee  now,  so  bad 
I  'se  sca'cely  able  to  stand.  I  don't  know  huccome  y'  all  ain't 
satisfied  with  the  place  you'  ma  an'  I  done  pick,  anyways." 

This  was  too  serious  a  mutiny  for  the  boys.  So  it  was 
finally  agreed  that  one  gun  should  be  returned  to  the  office, 
and  that  they  should  enter  by  the  gate,  after  which  Balla  was 
to  go  with  the  boys  by  the  way  they  should  show  him,  and 
see  the  spot  they  thought  of. 

They  took  him  down  through  the  weeds  around  the  gar- 


56  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

den,  crouching  under  the  rose-bushes,  and  at  last  stopped  at  a 
spot  under  the  slope,  completely  surrounded  by  shrubbery. 

"Here  is  the  spot,"  said  Frank  in  a  whisper,  pointing 
under  one  of  the  bushes. 

"  It's  in  a  line  with  the  longest  limb  of  the  big  oak-tree 
by  the  gate,"  added  Willy,  "and  when  this  locust  bush  and 
that  cedar  grow  to  be  big  trees,  it  will  be  just  half-way  between 
them." 

As  this  seemed  to  Balla  a  very  good  place,  he  set  to  work 
at  once  to  dig,  the  two  boys  helping  him  as  well  as  they 
could.  It  took  a  great  deal  longer  to  dig  the  hole  in  the 
dark  than  they  had  expected,  and  when  they  got  back  to 
the  house  everything  was  quiet. 

The  boys  had  their  hats  pulled  over  their  eyes,  and  had 
turned  their  jackets  inside  out  to  disguise  themselves. 

"  It 's  a  first-rate  place  !  Ain't  it,  Unc'  Balla  ?"  they  said, 
as  they  entered  the  chamber  where  their  mother  and  aunt 
were  waiting  for  them. 

"  Do  you  think  it  will  do,  Balla?"  their  mother  asked. 

"Oh,  yes,  madam  ;  it's  far  enough,  an'  they  got  mighty 
comical  ways  to  get  dyah,  wadin'  in  ditch  an'  things — it  will  do. 
I  ain'  sho'  I  kin  fin'  it  ag'in  myself."  He  was  not  particularly 
enthusiastic.  Now,  however,  he  shouldered  the  box,  with  a 
grunt  at  its  weight,  and  the  party  went  slowly  out  through 
the  back  door  into  the  dark.  The  glow  of  the  burning  depot 
was  still  visible  in  the  west. 

Then  it  was  decided  that  Willy  should  go  before — he  said 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  57 


to  "  reconnoitre,"  Balla  said  "  to  open  the  gate  and  lead  the 
way,"— and  that  Frank  should  bring  up  the  rear. 

They  trudged  slowly  on  through  the  darkness,  Frank  and 
Willy  watching  on  every  side,  old  Balla  stooping  under  the 
weight  of  the  big  box. 

After  they  were  some  distance  in  the  garden  they  heard, 
or  thought  they  heard,  a  sound  back  at  the  gate,  but  decided 
that  it  was  nothing  but  the  latch  clicking ;  and  they  went  on 
down  to  their  hiding  place. 

In  a  little  while  the  black  box  was  well  settled  in  the  hole, 
and  the  dirt  was  thrown  upon  it.  The  replaced  earth  made 
something  of  a  mound,  which  was  unfortunate.  They  had 
not  thought  of  this;  but  they  covered  it  with  leaves,  and 
ao-reed  that  it  was  so  well  hidden,  the  Yankees  would  never 
dream  of  looking  there. 

"  Unc'  Balla,  where  are  your  horses?"  asked  one  of  the 
boys. 

"That's  for  me  to  know,  an'  them  to  find  out  what  kin," 
replied  the  old  fellow  with  a  chuckle  of  satisfaction. 

The  whole  party  crept  back  out  of  the  garden,  and  the 
boys  were  soon  dreaming  of  buccaneers  and  pirates. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE  boys  were  not  sure  that  they  had  even  fallen  asleep 
when  they  heard  Lucy  Ann  call,  outside.  They  turned 
over  to  take  another  nap.  She  was  coming  up  to  the 
door.  No,  for  it  was  a  man's  step,  it  must  be  Uncle  Balla's  ; 
they  heard  horses  trampling  and  people  talking.  In  a  second 
the  door  was  flung  open,  and  a  man  strode  into  the  room 
followed  by  one,  two,  a  half-dozen  others,  all  white  and  all  in 
uniform.  They  were  Yankees.  The  boys  were  too  fright- 
ened to  speak.  They  thought  they  were  arrested  for  hiding 
the  silver. 

"  0*^1  up,  you  lazy  little  rebels,"  cried  one  of  the  intruders, 
not  unpleasantly.  As  the  boys  were  not  very  quick  in  obey- 
ing, being  really  too  frightned  to  do  more  than  sit  up  in  bed, 
the  man  caught  the  mattress  by  the  end,  and  lifting  it  with  a 
jerk  emptied  them  and  all  the  bedclothes  out  into  the  middle 
of  the  floor  in  a  heap.  At  this  all  the  other  men  laughed. 
A  minute  more  and  he  had  drawn  his  sword.  The  boys 
expected  no  less  than  to  be  immediately  killed.  They  were 
almost  paralyzed.  But  instead  of  plunging  his  sword  into 
them,  the  man  began  to  stick  it  into  the  mattresses  and  to 
rip  them  up  ;  while  others  pulled  open  the  drawers  of  the 
bureau  and  pitched  the  things  on  the  floor. 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  59 

The  boys  felt  themselves  to  be  in  a  very  exposed  and  de- 
fenceless condition  ;  and  Willy,  who  had  become  tangled  in 
the  bedclothes,  and  had  been  a  little  hurt  in  falling,  x\oyN  that 
the  strain  was  somewhat  over,  began  to  cry. 

In  a  minute  a  shadow  darkened  the  doorway  and  their 
mother  stood  in  the  room. 

"Leave  the  room  instantly!"  she  cried.  "Aren't  you 
ashamed  to  frighten  children  !  " 

"  We  have  n't  hurt  the  brats,"  said  the  man  with  the  sword, 
good-naturedly. 

"  Well,  you  terrify  them  to  death.  It 's  just  as  bad.  Give 
me  those  clothes  ! "  and  she  sprang  forward  and  snatched  the 
boys'  clothes  from  the  hands  of  a  man  who  had  taken  them 
up.  She  flung  the  suits  to  the  boys,  who  lost  no  time  in 
slipping  into  them. 

They  had  at  once  recovered  their  courage  in  the  presence 
of  their  mother.  She  seemed  to  them,  as  she  braved  the  in- 
truders, the  grandest  person  they  had  ever  seen.  Her  face 
was  white,  but  her  eyes  were  like  coals  of  hre.  They 
were  very  glad  she  had  never  looked  or  talked  so  to 
them. 

When  they  got  outdoors  the  yard  was  full  of  soldiers. 
They  were  upon  the  porches,  in  the  entry,  and  in  the  house. 
The  smoke-house  was  open  and  so  were  the  doors  of  all  the 
other  outhouses,  and  now  and  then  a  man  passed,  carrying 
some  article  which  the  boys  recognized. 

In  a  little  while  the  soldiers  had  taken  everything  they 


6o  TWO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

could  carry  conveniently,  and  even  things  which  must  have 
caused  them  some  inconvenience.  They  had  secured  all  the 
bacon  that  had  been  left  in  the  smoke-house,  as  well  as  all 
other  eatables  they  could  find.  It  was  a  queer  sight,  to  see 
the  fellows  sitting  on  their  horses  with  a  ham  or  a  pair  of 
fowls  tied  to  one  side  of  the  saddle  and  an  engraving,  or  a 
package  of  books,  or  some  ornament,  to  the  other. 

A  new  party  of  men  had  by  this  time  come  up  from  the 
direction  of  the  stables. 

"  Old  man,  come  here ! "  called  some  of  them  to  Balla,  who 
was  standing  near  expostulating  with  the  men  who  were  about 
the  fire. 

"  Who  ?— me  ?  "  asked  Balla. 

"  B'ain't  you  the  carriage  driver?" 

"  Ain't  I  the  keridge  driver  ?  " 

Yes,  you  ;  we  know  you  are,  so  you  need  not  be  lying 
about  it." 

"  Hi  !  yes  ;   I  the  keridge  driver.      Who  say  I  ain't  ?  " 

"  Well,  where  have  you  hid  those  horses  ?  Come,  we  want 
to  know,  quick,"  said  the  fellow  roughly,  taking  out  his  pistol 
in  a  threatening  way. 

The  old  man's  eyes  grew  wide.  "  Hi  !  befo'  de  Lord! 
Marster,  how  I  know  anything  of  the  horses  ef  they  ain't  in 
the  stable, — there's  where  we  keep  horses  !  " 

"  Here,  you  come  with  us.  We  won't  have  no  foolin' 
'bout  this,"  said  his  questioner,  seizing  him  by  the  shoulder 
and  jerking  him  angrily  around.      "  If  you    don't    show    us 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  63 

pretty  quick  where  those  horses  are,  we  '11  put  a  bullet  or  two 
into  you.      March  off  there  !  " 

He  was  backed  by  a  half-a-dozen  more,  but  the  pistol, 
which  was  at  old  Balla's  head,  was  his  most  efificient 
ally. 

"  Hi!  Marster,  don't  pint  dat  thing  at  me  that  way.  I  ain't 
ready  to  die  yit — an'  I  ain'  like'dem  things,  noways,"  protested 
Balla. 

There  is  no  telling  how  much  further  his  courage  could 
have  withstood  their  threats,  for  the  boys'  mother  made  her 
appearance.  She  was  about  to  bid  Balla  show  where  the 
horses  were,  when  a  party  rode  into  the  yard  leading 
them. 

"  Hi  !  there  are  Bill  and  John,  now,"  exclaimed  the  boys> 
recognizing  the  black  carriage-horses  which  were  being  led 
along. 

"  Well,  ef  dee  ain't  got  'em,  sho'  'nough  !"  exclaimed  the 
old  driver,  forgetting  his  fear  of  the  cocked  pistols. 

"  Gentlemen,  marsters,  don't  teck  my  horses,  ef  you 
please"  he  pleaded,  pushing  through  the  group  that  sur- 
rounded him,  and  approaching  the  man  who  led  the  horses. 

They  only  laughed  at  him. 

Both  the  boys  ran  to  their  mother,  and,  flinging  their  arms 
about  her,  burst  out  crying. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  men  started  ofT,  riding  across  the 
fields  ;  and  in  a  little  while  not  a  sold.er  was  in  sight. 

"  I  wish   Marse  William  could  see  you   ridin'  'cross  them 


64  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

fields,"  said   Balla,  looking    after  the  retiring  troop  in  futile 
indignation. 

Investigation  revealed  the  fact  that  every  horse  and  mule 
on  the  plantation  had  been  carried  off,  except  only  two  or 
three  old  mules,  which  were  evidently  considered  not  worth 
taking. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AF'TER  this,  times  were  very  hard  on  the  plantation. 
But  the  boys'  mother  struggled  to  provide  as  best  she 
could  for  the  family  and  hands.  She  used  to  ride  all 
over  the  county  to  secure  the  supplies  which  were  necessary 
for  their  support  ;  one  of  the  boys  usually  being  her  escort 
and  riding  behind  her  on  one  of  the  old  mules  that  the  raiders 
had  left  In  this  way  the  boys  became  acquainted  with  the 
roads  of  the  county  and  even  with  all  the  bridle-paths  in  the 
neighborhood  of  their  home.  Many  of  these  were  dim  enough 
too,  running  through  stretches  of  pine  forest,  across  old  fields 
which  were  little  better  than  jungle,  along  gullies,  up  ditches, 
and  through  woods  mile  after  mile.  They  were  generally 
useful  only  to  a  race,  such  as  the  negroes,  which  had  an 
instinct  for  direction  like  that  shown  by  some  animals  ;  but 
the  boys  learned  to  follow  them  unerringly,  and  soon  became 
as  skilful  in  "keepin'  de  parf "  as  any  night-walker  on  the 
plantation. 

As  the  year  passed  the  times  grew  harder  and  harder,  and 
the  expeditions  made  by  the  boys'  mother  became  longer  and 
longer,  and  more  and  more  frequent. 

The  meat  gave  out,  and,  worst  of  all,  they  had  no  hogs 
left  for  next  year.      The  plantation  usually  subsisted  on  bacon  ; 


66  7  WO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

but  now  there  was  not  a  pig  left  on  the  place — -unless  the  old 
wild  sow  in  the  big  woods  (who  had  refused  to  be  "  driven 
up"  the  fall  before)  still  survived,  which  was  doubtful;  for 
the  most  diligent  search  was  made  for  her  without  success, 
and  it  was  conceded  that  even  she  had  fallen  prey  to  the 
deserters.      Nothing  was  heard  of  her  for  months. 

One  day,  in  the  autumn,  the  boys  were  out  hunting  in  the 
big  woods,  in  the  most  distant  and  wildest  part,  where  they 
sloped  down  toward  a  little  marshy  branch  that  ran  into  the 
river  a  mile  or  two  away. 

It  was  a  very  dry  spell  and  squirrels  were  hard  to  find, 
owing,  the  boys  agreed,  to  the  noise  made  in  tramping 
through  the  dry  leaves.  Finally,  they  decided  to  station 
themselves  each  at  the  foot  of  a  hickory  and  wait  for  the 
squirrels.  They  found  two  large  hickory  trees  not  too  far 
apart,  and  took  their  positions  each  on  the  ground,  with  his 
back  to  a  tree. 

It  was  very  dull,  waiting,  and  a  half-whispered  colloquy 
was  passing  between  them  as  to  the  advisability  of  giving  it 
up,  when  a  faint  "  cranch,  cranch,  cranch,"  sounded  in  the 
dry  leaves.  At  first  the  boys  thought  it  was  a  squirrel,  and 
both  of  them  grasped  their  guns.  Then  the  sound  came 
again,  but  this  time  there  appeared  to  be,  not  one,  but  a 
number  of  animals,  rustling  slowly  along. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Frank  of  Willy,  whose  tree  was  a 
little  nearer  the  direction  from  which  the  sound  came. 

"  'Tain't  anything  but    some  cows  or    sheep,    I    believe," 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  67 

said  Willy,  in  a  disappointed  tone.  The  look  of  interest 
died  out  of  Frank's  face,  but  he  still  kept  his  eyes  in  the 
direction  of  the  sound,  which  was  now  very  distinct.  The 
underbrush,  however,  was  too  thick  for  them  to  see  anything. 
At  length  Willy  rose  and  pushed  his  way  rapidly  through  the 
bushes  toward  the  animals.  There  was  a  sudden  "  oof,  oof," 
and  Frank  heard  them  rushing  back  down  through  the  woods 
toward  the  marsh. 

"  Somebody's  hogs,"  he  muttered,  in  disgust. 

"  Frank  !     Frank  !  "  called  Willy,  in  a  most  excited  tone. 

"What?" 

"  It  's  the  old  spotted  sow,  and  she  's  got  a  lot  of  pigs 
with  her — great  big  shoats,  nearly  grown  !  " 

Frank  sprang  up  and  ran  through  the  bushes. 

"  At  least  six  of  'em  ! " 

"  Let  's  follow  'em  !  " 

"  All  right." 

The  boys,  stooping  their  heads,  struck  out  through  the 
bushes  in  the  direction  from  which  the  yet  retreating  animals 
could  still  be  heard. 

"  Let  's  shoot  'em." 

"  All  right." 

On  they  kept  as  hard  as  they  could.  What  great  news  it 
was  !     What  royal  game  ! 

"  It  's  like  hunting  wild  boars,  is  n't  it  ?"  shouted  Willy, 
joyfully. 

They  followed  the  track  left  by  the  animals  in  the  leaves 


68  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

kicked  up  in  their  mad  flight.  It  led  down  over  the  hill, 
through  the  thicket,  and  came  to  an  end  at  the  marsh  which 
marked  the  beginning  of  the  swamp.  Beyond  that  it  could 
not  be  traced  ;  but  it  was  evident  that  the  wild  hogs  had 
taken  refuge  in  the  impenetrable  recesses  of  the  marsh  which 
was  their  home. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

AFTER  circling  the  edge  of  the  swamp  for  some  time 
the  boys,  as  it  was  now  growing  late,  turned  toward 
home.  They  were  full  of  their  valuable  discovery, 
and  laid  all  sorts  of  plans  for  the  capture  of  the  hogs.  They 
would  not  tell  even  their  mother,  as  they  wished  to  surprise 
her.  They  were,  of  course,  familiar  with  all  the  modes  of 
trapping  game,  as  described  in  the  story  books,  and  they  dis- 
cussed them  all.  The  easiest  way  to  get  the  hogs  was  to 
shoot  them,  and  this  would  be  the  most  "  fun  ;  "  but  it  would 
never  do,  for  the  meat  would  spoil.  When  they  reached 
home  they  hunted  up  Uncle  Balla  and  told  him  about  their 
discovery.  He  was  very  much  inclined  to  laugh  at  them. 
The  hogs  they  had  seen  were  nothing,  he  told  them,  but 
some  of  the  neighbors'  hogs  which  had  wandered  into  the 
woods. 

When  the  boys  went  to  bed  they  talked  it  over  once 
more,  and  determined  that  next  day  they  would  thoroughly 
explore  the  woods  and  the  swamp  also,  as  far  as  they  could. 

The  follov/ing  afternoon,  therefore,  they  set  out,  and 
made  immediately  for  that  part  of  the  woods  where  they  had 
seen  and  heard  the  hogs  the  day  before.  One  of  them  car- 
ried a  gun  and  the  other  a  long  jumping-pole.  After  finding 
the  trail  they  followed  it  straight  down  to  the  swamp. 


70 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


Rolling  their  trousers  up  above  their  knees,  they  waded 
boldly  in,  selecting  an  opening  between  the  bushes  which 
looked  like  a  hog-path.  They  proceeded  slowly,  for  the 
briers  were  so  thick  in  many  places  that  they  could  hardly 
make  any  progress  at  all  when  they  neared  the  branch.  So 
they  turned  and  worked  their  way  painfully  down  the  stream. 
At  last,  however,  they  reached  a  place  where  the  brambles 
and  bushes  seemed  to  form  a  perfect  wall  before  them.  It 
was  impossible  to  get  through. 

"  Let  's  go  home,"  said  Willy.  "  'Tain't  any  use  to  try 
to  get  through  there.  My  legs  are  scratched  all  to  pieces 
now." 

"  Let  's  try  and  get  out  here,"  said  Frank,  and  he  turned 
from  the  wall  of  brambles.  They  crept  along,  springing 
from  hummock  to  hummock.  Presently  they  came  to  a  spot 
where  the  oozy  mud  extended  at  least  eight  or  ten  feet  before 
the  next  tuft  of  grass. 

"  How  am  I  to  get  the  gun  across  ?  "  asked  Willy,  dole- 
fully. 

"That  's  a  fact  !  It  's  too  far  to  throw  it,  even  with  the 
caps  off." 

At  length  they  concluded  to  go  back  for  a  piece  of  log 
they  had  seen,  and  to  throw  this  down  so  as  to  lessen  the 
distance. 

They  pulled  the  log  out  of  the  sand,  carried  it  to  the 
muddy  spot,  and  threw  it  into  the  mud  where  they  wanted  it. 

Frank  stuck  his  pole  down  and  felt  until  he  had  what  he 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  71 

thought  a  secure  hold  on  it,  fixed  his  eye  on  the  tuft  of  grass 
beyond,  and  sprang  into  air. 

As  he  jumped  the  pole  slipped  from  its  insecure  support 
into  the  miry  mud,  and  Frank,  instead  of  landing  on  the 
hummock  for  which  he  had  aimed,  lost  his  direction,  and 
soused  flat  on  his  side  with  a  loud  "spa-lash,"  in  the  water 
and  mud  three  feet  to  the  left. 

He  was  a  queer  object  as  he  staggered  to  his  feet  in  the 
quagmire  ;  but  at  the  instant  a  loud  "  oof,  oof,"  came  from 
the  thicket,  not  a  dozen  yards  away,  and  the  whole  herd 
of  hogs,  roused,  by  his  fall,  from  slumber  in  their  muddy 
lair,  dashed  away  through  the  swamp  with  "  oofs "  of 
fear. 

"  There  they  go,  there  they  go  ! "  shouted  both  boys, 
eagerly, — Willy,  in  his  excitement,  splashing  across  the  peril- 
ous-looking quagmire,  and  finding  it  not  so  deep  as  it  had 
looked. 

"  There  's  where  they  go  in  and  out,"  exclaimed  Frank, 
pointing  to  a  low  round  opening,  not  more  than  eighteen 
inches  high,  a  little  further  beyond  them,  which  formed  an 
arch  in  the  almost  solid  wall  of  brambles  surrounding  the 
place. 

As  it  was  now  late  they  returned  home,  resolving  to  wait 
until  the  next  afternoon  before  taking  any  further  steps. 
There  was  not  a  pound  of  bacon  to  be  obtained  anywhere  in 
the  country  for  love  or  money,  and  the  flock  of  sheep  was 
almost  orone. 


72  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

Their  mother's  anxiety  as  to  means  for  Ivceping  her  de- 
pendents from  starving  was  so  great  that  the  boys  were  on 
the  point  of  telhng  her  what  they  knew  ;  and  when  they 
heard  her  wishing  she  had  a  few  hogs  to  fatten,  they  could 
scarcely  keep  from  letting  her  know  their  plans.  At  last 
they  had  to  jump  up,  and  run  out  of  the  room. 

Next  day  the  boys  each  hunted  up  a  pair  of  old  boots 
which  they  had  used  the  winter  before.  The  leather  was  so 
dry  and  worn  that  the  boots  hurt  their  growing  feet  cruelly, 
but  they  brought  the  boots  along  to  put  on  when  they 
reached  the  swamp.  This  time,  each  took  a  gun,  and  they 
also  carried  an  axe,  for  now  they  had  determined  on  a  plan 
for  capturing  the  hogs. 

"  I  wish  we  had  let  Peter  and  Cole  come,"  said  Willy, 
dolefully,  sitting  on  the  butt  end  of  a  log  they  had  cut,  and 
wiping  his  face  on  his  sleeve. 

"  Or  had  asked  Uncle  Balla  to  help  us,"  added  Frank. 

"  They  'd  be  certain  to  tell  all  about  it." 

"Yes;  so  they  would." 

They  settled  down  in  silence,  and  panted. 

"  I  tell  you  what  we  ought  to  do  !  Bait  the  hog-path,  as 
you  would  for  fish."  This  was  the  suggestion  of  the  angler, 
Frank. 

"With  what?" 

"  Acorns." 

The  acorns  were  tolerably  plentiful  around  the  roots  of 
the  big  oaks,  so  the  boys  set  to  work  to  pick  them   up.      It 


TWO  LITTLE  CONFEDERATES.  73 

was  an  easier  job  than  cutting  the  log,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  each  had  his  hat  full. 

As  they  started  down  to  the  swamp,  Frank  exclaimed, 
suddenly,    "  Look  there,  Willy  !  " 

Willy  looked,  and  not  fifty  yards  away,  with  their  ends 
resting  on  old  stumps,  were  three  or  four  "hacks,"  or  piles 
of  rails,  which  had  been  mauled  the  season  before  and  left 
there,  probably  having  been  forgotten  or  overlooked. 

Willy  gave  a  hurrah,  while  bending  under  the  weight  of  a 
large  rail. 

At  the  spot  where  the  hog-path  came  out  of  the  thicket 
they  commenced  to  build  their  trap. 

First  they  laid  a  floor  of  rails  ;  then  they  built  a  pen,  five 
or  six  rails  high,  which  they  strengthened  with  "  outriders." 
When  the  pen  was  finished,  they  pried  up  the  side  nearest 
the  thicket,  from  the  bottom  rail,  about  a  foot ;  that  is,  high 
enough  for  the  animals  to  enter.  This  they  did  by  means  of 
two  rails,  using  one  as  a  fulcrum  and  one  as  a  lever,  having 
shortened  them  enough  to  enable  the  work  to  be  done  from 
inside  the  pen. 

The  lever  they  pulled  down  at  the  farther  end  until  it 
touched  the  bottom  of  the  trap,  and  fastened  it  by  another 
rail,  a  thin  one,  run  at  right-angles  to  the  lever,  and  across 
the  pen.  This  would  slip  easily  when  pushed  away  from  the 
gap,  and  needed  to  be  moved  only  about  an  inch  to  slip  from 
the  end  of  the  lever  and  release  it  ;  the  weight  of  the  pen 
would  then  close  the  gap.      Behind  this  rail  the  acorns  were 


74  TWO  LITTLE  CONFEDERATES. 

to  be  thrown  ;  and  the  hogs,  in  trying  to  get  the  bait,  would 
push  the  rail,  free  the  lever  or  trigger,  and  the  gap  would  be 
closed  by  the  fall  of  the  pen  when  the  lever  was  released. 

It  was  nearly  night  when  the  boys'  finished. 

They  scattered  a  portion  of  the  acorns  for  bait  along  the 
path  and  up  into  the  pen,  to  toll  the  hogs  in.  The  rest  they 
strewed  inside  the  pen,  beyond  their  sliding  rail. 

They  could  scarcely  tear  themselves  away  from  the  pen  ; 
but  it  was  so  late  they  had  to  hurry  home. 

Next  day  was  Sunday.  But  Monday  morning,  by  day- 
light, they  were  up  and  went  out  with  their  guns,  apparently 
to  hunt  squirrels.  They  went,  however,  straight  to  their  trap. 
As  they  approached  they  thought  they  heard  the  hogs  grunt- 
ing in  the  pen.  Willy  was  sure  of  it  ;  and  they  ran  as  hard 
as  they  could.  But  there  were  no  hogs  there.  After  going 
every  morning  and  evening  for  two  weeks,  there  never  had 
been  even  an  acorn  missed,  so  they  stopped  their  visits. 

Peter  and  Cole  found  out  about  the  pen,  and  then  the 
servants  learned  of  it,  and  the  boys  were  joked  and  laughed 
at  unmercifully. 

"  I  believe  them  boys  is  distracted,"  said  old  Balla,  in  the 
kitchen  ;  "  settin'  a  pen  in  them  woods  for  to  ketch  hogs, — 
with  the  gap  open  !  Think  hogs  goin^  stay  in  pen  with  gap 
open — ef  any  wuz  dyah  to  went  in  ! " 

"  Well,  you  come  out  and  help  us  hunt  for  them,"  said 
the  boys  to  the  old  driver. 

"  Go  'way,  boy,  I    ain'  got  time  foolin'  wid  you  chillern. 


TWO  LITTLE  CONFEDERATES.  75 


bulldin'  pen  in  swamp.     There  ain't  no  hogs  in  them  woods, 
onless  they  got  in  dyah  sence  las'  fall." 

"  You  saw  'em,  did  n't  you,  Willy  ?"  declared  Frank. 
"Yes,  I  did." 

"  Go  'way.  Don't  you  know,  ef  that  old  sow  had  been  in 
them  woods  the  boys  would  have  got  her  up  las'  fall— an'  ef 
they  had  n't,  she  'd  come  up  long  befo'  this  ?  " 

"  Mister  Hall  ketch  you  boys  puttin'  his  hogs  up  in  pen, 
he  '11  teck  you  up,"  said  Lucy  Ann,  in  her  usual  teasing  way. 
This  was  too  much  for  the  boys  to  stand  after  all  they 
had  done.  Uncle  Balla  must  be  right.  They  would  have  to 
admit  it.  The  hogs  must  have  belonged  to  some  one  else. 
And  their  mother  was  in  such  desperate  straits  about  meat  ! 

Lucy  Ann's  last  shot,  about  catching  Mr.  Hall's  hogs,  took 
effect;  and  the  boys  agreed  that  they  would  go  out  some 
afternoon  and  pull  the  pen  down. 

The  next  afternoon  they  took  their  guns,  and  started  out 
on  a  squirrel-hunt. 

They  did  not  have  much  luck,  however. 
"  Let 's  go  by  there,   and   pull   the   old   pen  down,"  said 
Frank,   as  they  started  homeward  from  the  far  side   of   the 
woods. 

"  It 's  out  of  the  way,— let  the  old  thing  rip." 
"  We  'd  better  pull  it  down.      If  a  hog  were  to  be  caught 
there,  it  would  n't  do." 

"  I  wish  he  would  '.—but  there  ain't  any  hogs  going  to  get 
caught,"  growled  Willy. 


76  TWO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  He  might  starve  to  death." 

This  suggestion  persuaded  Willy,  who  could  not  bear  "to 
have  anything  suffer. 

So  they  sauntered  down  toward  the  swamp. 

As  they  approached  it,  a  squirrel  ran  up  a  tree,  and  both 
boys  were  after  it  in  a  second.  They  were  standing,  one  on 
each  side  of  the  tree,  gazing  up,  trying  to  get  a  sight  of  the 
little  animal  among  the  gray  branches,  when  a  sound  came  to 
the  ears  of  both  of  them  at  the  same  moment.  • 

"  What  's  that  ? "  both  asked  together. 

"  It  's  hogs,  grunting." 

"  No,  they  are  fighting.  They  are  in  the  swamp.  Let 's 
run,"  said  Willy. 

"  No  ;  we  '11  scare  them  away.  They  may  be  near  the 
trap,"  was  PVank's  prudent  suggestion.     "  Let  's  creep  up." 

"  I  hear  young  pigs  squealing.  Do  you  think  they  are 
ours  ? " 

The  squirrel  was  left,  flattened  out  and  trembling  on  top 
of  a  large  limb,  and  the  boys  stole  down  the  hill  toward  the 
pen.  The  hogs  were  not  in  sight,  though  they  could  be 
heard  grunting  and  scuffling.  They  crept  closer.  Willy 
crawled  through  a  thick  clump  of  bushes,  and  sprang  to  his 
feet  with  a  shout.  "  We  've  got  'em  !  We  've  got  'em  !  "  he 
cried,  running  toward  the  pen,  followed  by  Frank. 

Sure  enough  !  There  they  were,  fast  in  the  pen,  fighting 
and  snorting  to  get  out,  and  tearing  around  with  the  bristles 
high  on  their  round  backs,  the  old  sow  and  seven  large  young 


nVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  77 


hogs  ;  while  a  Htter  of  eight  Httle  pigs,  as  the  boys  ran  up, 
squeezed  through  the  rails,  and,  squealing,  dashed  away  into 
the  grass. 

The  hogs  were  almost  frantic  at  the  sight  of  the  boys,  and 
rushed  madly  at  the  sides  of  the  pen  ;  but  the  boys  had  made 
it  too  strong  to  be  broken. 

After  gazing  at  their  capture  awhile,  and  piling  a  few 
more  outriders  on  the  corners  of  the  pen  to  make  it  more 
secure,  the  two  trappers  rushed  home.  They  dashed  breath- 
less and  panting  into  their  mother's  room,  shouting,  "  We  've 
o-ot  'em  ! — we  've  got  'em  ! "  and,  seizing  her,  began  to  dance 
up  and  down  with  her. 

In  a  little  while  the  whole  plantation  was  aware  of  the 
capture,  and  old  Balla  was  sent  out  with  them  to  look  at  the 
hogs  to  make  sure  they  did  not  belong  to  some  one  else, — as 
he  insisted  they  did.  The  boys  went  with  him.  It  was  quite 
dark  when  he  returned,  but  as  he  came  in  the  proof  of  the 
boys'  success  was  written  on  his  face.  He  was  in  a  broad 
grin.  To  his  mistress's  inquiry  he  replied,  "Yes,  'm,  they 's 
got  'em,  sho'  'nough.      They  's  the  beatenes'  boys  ! " 

For  some  time  afterward  he  would  every  now  and  then 
break  into  a  chuckle  of  amused  content  and  exclaim, 
"  Them  's  right  smart  chillern."  And  at  Christmas,  when 
the  hogs  were  killed,  this  was  the  opinion  of  the  whole 
plantation. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  gibes  of  Lucy  Ann,  and  the  occasional  little  thrusts 
of  Hugh  about  the  "deserter  business,"  continued  and 
kept  the  boys  stirred  up.  At  length  they  could  stand 
it  no  longer.  It  was  decided  between  them  that  they  must 
retrieve  their  reputations  by  capturing  a  real  deserter  and 
turning  him  over  to  the  conscript-officer  whose  office  was  at 
the  depot. 

Accordingly,  one  Saturday  they  started  out  on  an  expe- 
dition, the  object  of  which  was  to  capture  a  deserter  though 
they  should  die  in  the  attempt. 

The  conscript-guard  had  been  unusually  active  lately,  and 
it  was  said  that  several  deserters  had  been  caught. 

The  boys  turned  in  at  their  old  road,  and  made  their  way 
into  Holetown.  Their  guns  were  loaded  with  large  slugs,  and 
they  felt  the  ardor  of  battle  thrill  them  as  they  marched  along 
down  the  narrow  roadway.  They  were  trudging  on  when 
they  were  hailed  by  name  from  behind.  Turning,  they  saw 
their  friend  Tim  Mills,  coming  along  at  the  same  slouch- 
ing gait  in  which  he  always  walked.  His  old  single-barrel 
gun  was  thrown  across  his  arm,  and  he  looked  a  little 
rustier  than  on  the  day  he  had  shared  their  lunch.  The 
boys  held  a  little  whispered  conversation,  and  decided  on  a 
treaty  of  friendship. 


TJFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


79 


"  Good-morn  in',"  he  said,  on  coming  up  to  them.  "How's 
your  ma  ?  " 

"  Good-morning.      She's  right  well." 

"  What  y'  all  doin' ?     Huntin'  d'serters  agin  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes.      Come  on  and  help  us  catch  them." 

"  No  ;  I  can't  do  that — exactly  ; — but  I  tell  you  what  I 
can  do.      I   can  tell  you  whar  one  is  !  " 

The  boys'  faces  glowed.      "  All  right!" 

"  Let  me  see,"  he  began,  reflectively,  chewing  a  stick. 
"  Does  y'  all  know  Billy  Johnson  ?  " 

The  boys  did  not  know  him. 

"  You  sure  you  don't  know  him  ?  He's  a  tall,  long  fel- 
low, 'bout  forty  years  old,  and  breshes  his  hair  mighty  slick ; 
got  a  big  nose,  and  a  gap-tooth,. and  a  mustache.  He  lives 
down  in  the  lower  neighborhood." 

Even  after  this  description  the  boys  failed  to  recognize 
him. 

"  Well,  he's  the  feller.  I  can  tell  you  right  whar  he  is, 
this  minute.  He  did  me  a  mean  trick,  an'  I'm  gwine  to 
give  him  up.      Come  along." 

"  What  did  he  do  to  you  ?  "  inquired  the  boys,  as  they 
followed  him  down  the  road. 

"  Why — he —  ;  but  't  's  no  use  to  be  rakin'  it  up  agin. 
You  know  he  always  passes  hisself  off  as  one  o'  the  conscrip'- 
guards, — that  's  his  dodge.  Like  as  not,  that's  what  he  's 
gwine  try  and  put  off  on  y'  all  now  ;  but  don't  you  let  him 
fool  you." 


8o  TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  We're  not  going  to,"  said  the  boys, 

"  He  rigs  hisself  up  in  a  uniform — jes'  like  as  not  he  stole 
it,  too, — an'  goes  roun'  foolin'  people,  meckin'  out  he's  such 
a  soldier.  If  he  fools  with  me,  I'm  gwine  to  finish  him  !  " 
Here  Tim  gripped  his  gun  fiercely. 

The  boys  promised  not  to  be  fooled  by  the  wily  Johnson. 
All  they  asked  was  to  have  him  pointed  out  to  them. 

"  Don't  you  let  him  put  up  any  game  on  you  'bout  bein' 
a  conscrip'-guard  hisself,"  continued  their  friend. 

"  No,  indeed  we  won't.  We  are  obliged  to  you  for  telling 
us." 

"  He  ain't  so  very  fur  from  here.  He's  mighty  tecken 
up  with  John  Hall's  gal,  and  is  tryin'  to  meek  out  like  he's 
Gen'l  Lee  hisself,  an'  she  ain't  got  no  mo'  sense  than  to 
b'lieve  him." 

"  Why,    we    heard,  Mr.    Mills,  she    was    going   to    marry 

"  Oh,  no,  /  ain't  a  good  enough  soldier  for  her ;  she 
wants  to  marry  Geu7  Lee." 

The  boys  laughed  at  his  dry  tone. 

As  they  walked  along  they  consulted  how  the  capture 
should  be  made. 

"  I  tell  you  how  to  take  him,"  said  their  companion.  "  He 
is  a  monstrous  coward,  and  all  you  got  to  do  is  jest  to 
bring  your  guns  down  on  him.  I  would  n't  shoot  him — 'nless 
he  tried  to  run  ;  but  if  he  did  that,  when  he  got  a  little  dis- 
tance I'd  pepper  him  about  his  legs.      Make  him  give  up  his 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  8i 

sword  and  pistol  and  don't  let  him  ride  ;  'cause  if  you  do, 
he'll  git  away.      Make  him  walk — -the  rascal  !  " 

The  boys  promised  to  carry  out  these  kindly  sugges- 
tions. 

They  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  little  house  where  Mills 
said  the  deserter  was.  A  soldier's  horse  was  standing  tied  at 
the  gate,  with  a  sword  hung  from  the  saddle.  The  owner, 
in  full  uniform,  was  sitting  on  the  porch. 

"I  can't  go  any  furder,"  whispered  their  friend;  "but 
that's  him— that's  '  Gen'l  Lee' — the  triflin'  scoundrel! — 
loafin'  'roun'  here  'sted  o'  goin'  in  the  army  !  I  b'lieve  y'  all 
is  'fraid  to  take  him,"  eying  the  boys  suspiciously. 

"  No,  we  ain't  ;  you'll  see,"  said  both  boys,  fired  at  the 
doubt. 

"  All  right  ;  I'm  goin'  to  wait  right  here  and  watch  you. 
Go  ahead." 

The  boys  looked  at  the  guns  to  see  if  they  were  all  right, 
and  marched  up  the  road  keeping  their  eyes  on  the  enemy. 
It  was  agreed  that  Frank  was  to  do  the  talking  and  give  the 
orders. 

They  said  not  a  word  until  they  reached  the  gate.  They 
could  see  a  young  woman  moving  about  in  the  house,  setting 
a  table.  At  the  gate  they  stopped,  so  as  to  prevent  the  man 
from  getting  to  his  horse. 

The  soldier  eyed  them  curiously.  "  I  wonder  whose  boys 
they  is  ?"  he  said  to  himself.  "  They's  certainly  actin'  com- 
ical !     Playin'  soldiers,  I  reckon." 

6 


82  TIVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES 

"  Cock  your  gun — easy,"  said  Frank,  in  a  low  tone,  suit- 
ing his  own  action  to  the  word. 

Willy  obeyed. 

"  Come  out  here,  if  you  please,"  Frank  called  to  the  man. 
He  could  not  keep  his  voice  from  shaking  a  little,  but  the 
man  rose  and  lounged  out  toward  them.  His  prompt  com- 
pliance reassured  them. 

They  stood,  gripping  their  guns  and  watching  him  as  he 
advanced. 

"  Come  outside  the  gate  !  "      He  did  as  Frank  said. 

"What  do  you  want  ?"  he  asked  impatiently. 

"You  are  our  prisoner,"  said  Frank,  sternly,  dropping 
down  his  gun  with  the  muzzle  toward  the  captive,  and  giving 
a  glance  at  Willy  to  see  that  he  was  supported. 

''\o\ix  what  ?     What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"  We  arrest  you  as  a  deserter." 

How  proud  Willy  was  of  Frank  ! 

"  Go  'way  from  here  ;  I  ain't  no  deserter.  I'm  a-huntin' 
for  deserters,  myself,"  the  man  replied,  laughing. 

Frank  smiled  at  Willy  with  a  nod,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  You 
see, — just  what  Tim  told  us  !" 

"  Ain't  your  name  Mr.  Billy  Johnson  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  that's  my  name." 

"  You  are  the  man  we're  looking  for.  March  down  that 
road.      But  don't  run, — if  you  do,  we'll  shoot  you  !  " 

As  the  boys  seemed  perfectly  serious  and  the  muzzles  of 
both  guns  were  pointing  directly  at  him,  the  man  began  to 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  83 

think  that  they  were  in  earnest.  But  he  could  hardly  credit 
his  senses.     A  suspicion  flashed  into  his  mind. 

"  Look  here,  boys,"  he  said,  rather  angrily,  "  I  don't 
want  any  of  your  foolin'  with  me.  I'm  too  old  to  play  with 
children.  If  you  all  don't  go  'long  home  and  stop  giving 
me  impudence,  I'll  slap  you  over!"  He  started  angrily 
toward  Frank.  As  he  did  so,  Frank  brought  the  gun  to  his 
shoulder. 

"  Stand  back !  "  he  said,  looking  along  the  barrel,  right 
into  the  man's  eyes.  "  If  you  move  a  step,  I'll  blow  your 
head  off !  " 

The  soldier's  jaw  fell.  He  stopped  and  threw  up  his 
arm  before  his  eyes. 

"  Hold  on  !  "  he  called,  "  don't  shoot  !  Boys,  ain't  you 
got  better  sense  'nt  hat  ?" 

"  March  on  down  that  road.  Willy,  you  get  the  horse," 
said  Frank,  decidedly. 

The  soldier  glanced  over  toward  the  house.  The  voice 
of  the  young  woman  was  heard  singing  a  war  song  in  a  high 
key. 

"  Ef  Millindy  sees  me,  I'm  a  goner,"  he  reflected.  "  Jes 
come  down  the  road  a  little  piece,  will  you  ?  "  he  asked,  per- 
suasively. 

"  No  talking, — march  !  "  ordered  Frank. 

He  looked  at  each  of  the  boys  ;  the  guns  still  kept  their 
perilous  direction.  The  boys'  eyes  looked  fiery  to  his  sur- 
prised senses. 


84  TJVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  Who  Is  y'  all  ?"  he  asked. 

"  We  are  two  little  Confederates  !  That's  who  we  are," 
said  Willy. 

"  Is  any  of  your  parents  ever — -ever  been  in  a  asylum  ?" 
he  asked,  as  calmly  as  he  could. 

"That's  none  of  your  business,"  said  Captain  Frank 
**  March  on  !  " 

The  man  cast  a  despairing  glance  toward  the  house,  where 
"The  years"  were  "creeping  slowly  by,  Lorena,"  in  a  very 
high  pitch, — and  then  moved  on. 

"  I  hope  she  ain't  seen  nothin',"  he  thought.  "  If  I  jest 
can  git  them  guns  away  from  'em " 

Frank  followed  close  behind  him  with  his  old  gun  held 
ready  for  need,  and  Willy  untied  the  horse  and  led  it.  The 
bushes  concealed  them  from  the  dwelling. 

As  soon  as  they  were  well  out  of  sight  of  the  house, 
Frank  gave  the  order  : 

-Halt!"     They  all  halted 

"  Willy,  tie  the  horse."     It  was  done. 

"I  wonder  if  those  boys  is  thinkin'  'bout  shootin'  me?" 
thought  the  soldier,  turning  and  putting  his  hand  on  his  pistol. 

As  he  did  so,  Frank's  gun  came  to  his  shoulder. 

"Throw  up  your  hands  or  you  are  a  dead  man."  The 
hands  went  up. 

"  Willy,  keep  your  gun  on  him,  while  I  search  him  for  any 
weapons."  Willy  cocked  the  old  musket  and  brought  it  to 
bear  on  the  prisoner. 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


"  Little  boy,  don't  handle  that  thing  so  reckless,"  the  man 
expostulated.  "  Ef  that  musket  was  to  go  off,  it  might  kill 
me !  " 

"  No  talking,"  demanded  Frank,  going  up  to  him.  "  Hold 
up  your  hands.      Willy,  shoot  him  if  he  moves." 

Frank  drew  a  long  pistol  from  its  holster  with  an  air  of 
business.      He  searched  carefully,  but  there  was  no  more. 

The  fellow  gritted  his  teeth.  "  If  she  ever  hears  of  //i/s, 
Tim's  got  her  certain,"  he  groaned  ;  "  but  she  won't  never 
hear." 

At  a  turn  in  the  road  his  heart  sank  within  him  ;  for  just 
around  the  curve  they  came  upon  Tim  Mills  sitting  quietly 
on  a  stump.  He  looked  at  them  with  a  quizzical  eye,  but 
said  not  a  word. 

The  prisoner's  face  was  a  study  when  he  recognized  his 
rival  and  enemy.  As  Mills  did  not  move,  his  courage  re- 
turned. 

"Good  mornin',  Tim,"  he  said,  with  great  politeness. 

The  man  on  the  stump  said  nothing  ;  he  only  looked  on 
with  complacent  enjoyment. 

"  Tim,  is  these  two  boys  crazy  ?  "  he  asked  slowly. 

"  They  're  crazy  'bout  shootin'  deserters,"  replied  Tim. 

"  Tim,  tell  'em  I  ain't  no  deserter."  His  voice  was  full 
of  entreaty. 

"Well,  if  you  ain't  a  d'serter,  what  you  doin'  outn  the 
army  ?  " 

"You    know "  began    the    fellow    fiercely;    but   Tim 


86  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

shifted  his  long  single-barrel  lazily  into  his  hand  and  looked 
the  man  straight  in  the  eyes,  and  the  prisoner  stopped. 

"Yes,  I  know,"  said  Tim  with  a  sudden  spark  in  his 
eyes.  "  hvi  yoii  know,"  he  added  after  a  pause,  during  which 
his  face  resumed  its  usual  listless  look.  "  An'  my  edvice  to 
you  is  to  go  'long  with  them  boys,  if  you  don't  want  to  git 
three  loads  of  slugs  in  you.  They  may  put  'em  in  you 
anyway.  They's  sort  of  'stracted  'bout  d'serters,  and  I  can 
swear  to  it."     He  touched  his  forehead  expressively. 

"  March  on  !"  said  Frank. 

The  prisoner,  grinding  his  teeth,  moved  forward,  followed 
by  his  guards. 

As  the  enemies  parted  each  man  sent  the  same  ugly  look 
after  the  other. 

"  It's  all  over  I  He's  got  her,"  groaned  Johnson.  As 
they  passed  out  of  sight,  Mills  rose  and  sauntered  somewhat 
briskly  (for  him)  in  the  direction  of  John  Hall's. 

They  soon  reached  a  little  stream,  not  far  from  the  depot 
where  the  provost-guard  was  stationed.  On  its  banks  the  man 
made  his  last  stand  ;  but  his  obstinacy  brought  a  black  muzzle 
close  to  his  head  with  a  stern  little  face  behind  it,  and  he  was 
fain  to  march  straight  through  the  water,  as  he  was  ordered. 

Just  as  he  was  emerging  on  the  other  bank,  with  his  boots 
full  of  water  and  his  trousers  dripping,  closely  followed  by 
Frank  brandishing  his  pistol,  a  small  body  of  soldiers  rode 
up.  They  were  the  conscript-guard.  Johnson's  look  was  de- 
spairing. 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  89 

"  Why,  Billy,  what  in  thunder ?     Thought  you  were 

sick  in  bed  ! " 

Another  minute  and  the  soldiers  took  in  the  situation  by 
instinct — and  Johnson's  rage  was  drowned  in  the  universal 
explosion  of  laughter. 

The  boys  had  captured  a  member  of  the  conscript-guard. 

In  the  midst  of  all,  Frank  and  Willy,  overwhelmed  by 
their  ridiculous  error,  took  to  their  heels  as  hard  as  they 
could,  and  the  last  sounds  that  reached  them  were  the  roars 
of  the  soldiers  as  the  scampering  boys  disappeared  in  a  cloud 
of  dust. 

Johnson  went  back,  in  a  few  days,  to  see  John  Hall's 
daughter  ;  but  the  young  lady  declared  she  would  n't  marry 
any  man  who  let  two  boys  make  him  wade  through  a  creek ; 
and  a  month  or  two  later  she  married  Tim  Mills. 

To  all  the  gibes  he  heard  on  the  fubject  of  his  capture, 
and  they  were  many,  Johnson  made  but  one  reply  : 

"Them  boys  's  had  parents  in  a  a — sylum,  sure!" 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

IT  was  now  nearing  the  end  of  the  third  year  of  the  war. 
Hugh    was    seventeen,    and    was    eager    to    go    into    the 

army.  His  mother  would  have  hked  to  keep  him  at 
home  ;  but  she  felt  that  it  was  her  duty  not  to  withhold  any- 
thing, and  Colonel  Marshall  offered  Hugh  a  place  with  him. 
So  a  horse  was  bought,  and  Hugh  went  to  Richmond  and 
came  back  with  a  uniform  and  a  sabre.  The  boys  truly 
thought  that  General  Lee  himself  was  not  so  imposing  or  so 
great  a  soldier  as  Hugh.  They  followed  him  about  like  two 
pet  dogs,  and  when  he  sat  down  they  stood  and  gazed  at 
him  adoringly. 

When  Hugh  rode  away  to  the  army  it  was  harder  to  part 
with  him  than  they  had  expected  ;  and  though  he  had  left 
them  his  gun  and  dog,  to  console  them  during  his  absence,  it 
was  difficult  to  keep  from  crying.  Everyone  on  the  planta- 
tion was  moved.  Uncle  Balla,  who  up  to  the  last  moment 
had  been  very  lively  attending  to  the  horse,  as  the  young  sol- 
dier galloped  away  sank  down  on  the  end  of  the  steps  of  the 
office,  and,  dropping  his  hands  on  his  knees,  followed  Hugh 
with  his  eyes  until  he  disappeared  over  the  hill.  The  old 
driver  said  nothing,  but  his  face  expressed  a  great  deal. 

The  boys'  mother  cried  a  great  deal,  but  it  was  generally 
when  she  was  by  herself. 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  91 

"She  's  afraid  Hugh  '11  be  kilt,"  Willy  said  to  Uncle 
Balla,  in  explanation  of  her  tears, — the  old  servant  having 
remarked  that  he  "  b'lieved  she  cried  more  when  Hugh  went 
away,  than  she  did  when  Marse  John  and  Marse  William  both 
went." 

"  Hi  !  war  n't  she  'fred  they  '11  be  kilt,  too  ?  "  he  asked  in 
some  scorn. 

This  was  beyond  Willy's  logic,  so  he  pondered  over  it. 

"  Yes,  but  she  's  afraid  Hugh  '11  be  kilt,  as  k'^// as  them," 
he  said  finally,  as  the  best  solution  of  the  problem. 

It  did  not  seem  to  wholly  satisfy  Uncle  Balla's  mind,  for 
when  he  moved  off  he  said,  as  though  talking  to  himself : 

"She  sutn'ey  is  'sot'  on  that  boy.  He  '11  be  a  gen'l  his- 
self,  the  first  thing  she  know." 

There  was  a  bond  of  sympathy  between  Uncle  Balla  and 
his  mistress  which  did  not  exist  so  strongly  between  her  and 
any  of  the  other  servants.  It  was  due  perhaps  to  the  fact 
that  he  was  the  companion  and  friend  of  her  boys. 

That  winter  the  place  where  the  army  went  into  winter- 
quarters  was  some  distance  from  Oakland ;  but  the  young 
officers  used  to  ride  over,  from  time  to  time,  two  or  three 
together,  and  stay  for  a  day  or  two. 

Times  were  harder  than  they  had  been  before,  but  the 
young  people  were  as  gay  as  ever. 

The  colonel,  who  had  been  dreadfully  wounded  in  the 
summer,  had  been  made  a  brigadier-general  for  gallantry. 
Hugh  had  received  a  slight  wound  in  the  same  action.      The 


riFO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


General  had  written  to  the  boy's  mother  about  him  ;  but  he 
had  not  been  home.  The  General  had  gone  back  to  his 
command.  He  had  never  been  to  Oakland  since  he  was 
wounded. 

One  evening,  the  boys  had  just  teased  their  Cousin  Belle 
into  reading  them  their  nightly  portion  of  "The  Talisman," 
as  they  sat  before  a  bright  lightwood  fire,  when  two  horse- 
men galloped  up  to  the  gate,  their  horses  splashed  with  mud 
from  fetlocks  to  ears.  In  a  second,  Lucy  Ann  dashed  head- 
long into  the  room,  with  her  teeth  gleaming  : 

"  Here  Marse  Hugh,  out  here  !  " 

There  was  a  scamper  to  the  door — the  boys  first,  shouting 
at  the  tops  of  their  voices,  Cousin  Belle  next,  and  Lucy  Ann 
close  at  her  heels. 

"  Who  's  with  him,  Lucy  Ann  ? "  asked  Miss  Belle,  as  they 
reached  the  passage-way,  and  heard  several  voices  outside. 

"The  Gunnel's  with  'im." 

The  young  lady  turned  and  fled  up  the  steps  as  fast  as  she 
could. 

"You  see  I  brought  my  welcome  with  me,"  said  the  Gen- 
eral, addressing  the  boy's  mother,  and  laying  his  hand  on 
his  young  aide's  shoulder,  as  they  stood,  a  little  later,  "  thaw- 
ing out  "  by  the  roaring  log-fire  in  the  sitting-room. 

"  You  always  bring  that  ;  but  you  are  doubly  welcome  for 
bringing  this  young  soldier  back  to  me,"  said  she,  putting  her 
arm  affectionately  around  her  son. 

Just  then  the  boys  came  rushing  in  from  taking  the  horses 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  93 

to  the  stable.  They  made  a  dive  toward  the  fire  to  warm 
their  Httle  chapped  hands. 

"  I  told  you  Hugh  war  n't  as  tall  as  the  General,"  said 
Frank,  across  the  hearth  to  Willy. 

"  Who  said  he  was  ?  " 

"You!" 

"  I   did  n't." 

"  You  did." 

They  were  a  contradictory  pair  of  youngsters,  and  their 
voices,  pitched  in  a  youthful  treble,  were  apt  in  discussion 
to  strike  a  somewhat  higher  key;  but  it  did  not  follow  that 
they  were  in  an  ill-humor  merely  because  they  contradicted 
each  other. 

"What  did  you  -say,  if  you  did  n't  say  that?"  insisted 
Frank. 

"  I  said  he  looked  as  if  he  tJioiight  himself  as  tall  as  the 
General,"  declared  Willy,  defiantly,  oblivious  in  his  excite- 
ment of  the  eldest  brother's  presence.  There  was  a  general 
laugh  at  Hugh's  confusion  ;  but  Hugh  had  carried  an  order 
across  a  field  under  a  hot  fire,  and  had  brought  a  regiment 
up  in  the  nick  of  time,  riding  by  its  colonel's  side  in  a  charge 
which  had  changed  the  issue  of  the  fight,  and  had  a  sabre 
wound  in  the  arm  to  show  for  it.  He  could  therefore  afford 
to  pass  over  such  an  accusation  with  a  little  tweak  of  Willy's 
ear. 

"  Where  's  Cousin  Belle  ?  "  asked  Frank. 

"  I  s'peck  she  's  putting  on  her  fine  clothes  for   the  Gen- 


94  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

eral  to  see.  Did  n't  she  run  when  she  heard  he  was 
here  ! " 

"  Willy  !  "  said  his  mother,  reprovingly. 

"  Well,  she  did,  Ma." 

His  mother  shook  her  head  at  him  ;  but  the  General  put 
his  hand  on  the  boy,  and  drew  him  closer, 

"  You  say  she  ran  ?  "  he  asked,  with  a  pleasant  light  in  his 
eyes. 

"  Yes,  sirree  ;   she  did  thaty 

Just  then  the  door  opened,  and  their  Cousin  Belle  entered 
the  room.  She  looked  perfectly  beautiful.  The  greetings 
were  very  cordial — to  Hugh  especially.  She  threw  her  arms 
around  his  neck,  and  kissed  him. 

"You  young  hero!"  she  cried.  "Oh,  Hugh,  I  am  so 
proud  of  you  !  " — kissing  him  again,  and  laughing  at  him, 
with  her  face  glowing,  and  her  big  brown  eyes  full  of  light. 
"  Where  w^ere  you  wounded  ?  Oh  !  I  was  so  frightened 
when  I  heard  about  it  !" 

"Where  was  it?  Show  it  to  us,  Hugh;  please  do," 
exclaimed  both  boys  at  once,  jumping  around  him,  and  pull- 
ing at  his  arm. 

"Oh,  Hugh,  is  it  still  very  painful  ?"  asked  his  cousin,  her 
pretty  face  filled  with  sudden  sympathy. 

"Oh!  no,  it  was  nothing — nothing  but  a  scratch,"  said 
Hugh,  shaking  the  boys  off,  his  expression  being  divided 
between  feigned  indifference  and  sheepishness,  at  this  praise 
in  the  presence  of  his  chief. 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  95 

"  No  such  thing,  Miss  Belle,"  put  in  the  General,  glad  of 
the  chance  to  secure  her  commendation.  "  It  might  have 
been  very  serious,  and  it  was  a  splendid  ride  he  made." 

"  Were  you  not  ashamed  of  yourself  to  send  him  into 
such  danger  ?"  she  said,  turning  on  him  suddenly.  "Why 
did  you  not  go  yourself  ?" 

The  young  man  laughed.  Her  beauty  entranced  him. 
He  had  scars  enough  to  justify  him  in  keeping  silence  under 
her  pretended  reproach. 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  could  n't  leave  the  place  where  I  was. 
I  had  to  send  some  one,  and  I  knew  Hugh  would  do  it.  He 
led  the  regiment  after  the  colonel  and  major  fell — and  he  did 
it  splendidly,  too." 

There  was  a  chorus  from  the  young  lady  and  the  boys 
together. 

"  Oh,  Hugh,  you  hear  what  he  says  !  "  exclaimed  the 
former,  turning  to  her  cousin.  "  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  that  he 
thinks  so ! "  Then,  recollecting  that  she  was  paying  him 
the  highest  compliment,  she  suddenly  began  to  blush,  and 
turned  once  more  to  him.  "  Well,  you  talk  as  if  you  were 
surprised.      Did  you  expect  anything  else  ?  " 

There  was  a  fine  scorn  in  her  voice,  if  it  had  been 
real. 

"  Certainly  not ;  you  are  all  too  clever  at  making  an 
attack,"  he  said  coolly,  looking  her  in  the  eyes.  "  But  I  have 
heard  even  of  your  running  away,"  he  added,  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eyes. 


96  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  When  ? "  she  asked  quickly,  with  a  Httle  guilty  color 
deepening  in  her  face  as  she  glanced  at  the  boys.  "  I  never 
did." 

"  Oh,  she  did  !  "  exclaimed  both  boys  in  a  breath,  break- 
ing in,  now  that  the  conversation  was  within  their  range. 
You  ought  to  have  seen  her.  She  ]\isX.  Jlezu  /  ""  exclaimed 
Frank. 

The  girl  made  a  rush  at  the  offender  to  stop  him. 

"  He  does  n't  know  what  he  is  talking  about,"  she  said, 
roguishly,  over  her  shoulder. 

"  Yes,  he  does,"  called  the  other.  "  She  was  standing  at 
the  foot  of  the  steps  when  you  all  came,  and — oo — oo — 
oo — "  the  rest  was  lost  as  his  cousin  placed  her  hand  close 
over  his  mouth. 

"  Here  !  here!  run  away  !  You  are  too  dangerous.  They 
don't  know  what  they  are  talking  about,"  she  said,  throw- 
ing a  glance  toward  the  young  officer,  who  was  keenly 
enjoying  her  confusion.  Her  hand  slipped  from  Willie's 
mouth  and  he  went  on.  "  And  when  she  heard  it  was 
you,  she  just  clapped  her  hands  and  ran  —  oo  —  oo  — 
umm." 

"  Here,  Hugh,  put  them  out,"  she  said  to  that  young 
man,  who,  glad  to  do  her  bidding,  seized  both  miscreants  by 
their  arms  and  carried  them  out,  closing  the  door  after 
them. 

Hugh  bore  the  boys  into  the  dining-room,  where  he  kept 
them  until  supper-time. 


TIVO    LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


97 


After  supper,  the  rest  of  the  family  dispersed,  and  the 
boys'  mother  invited  them  to  come  with  her  and  Hugh  to 
her  own  room,  though  they  were  eager  to  go  and  see  the 
General,  and  were  much  troubled  lest  he  should  think  their 
mother  was  rude  in  leaving  him. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE  next  day  was  Sunday.  The  General  and  Hugh 
had  but  one  day  to  stay.  They  were  to  leave  at  day- 
break the  following  morning.  They  thoroughly  en- 
joyed their  holiday;  at  least  the  boys  knew  that  Hugh  did. 
They  had  never  known  him  so  affable  with  them.  They  did 
not  see  much  of  the  General,  after  breakfast.  He  seemed  to 
like  to  stay  "stuck  up  in  the  house"  all  the  time,  talking  to 
Cousin  Belle  ;  the  boys  thought  this  due  to  his  lameness. 
Something  had  occurred,  the  boys  did  n't  understand  just 
what  ;  but  the  General  was  on  an  entirely  new  footing  with 
all  of  them,  and  their  Cousin  Belle  was  in  some  way  con- 
cerned in  the  change.  She  did  not  any  longer  run  from  the 
General,  and  it  seemed  to  them  as  though  everyone  acted  as 
if  he  belonged  to  her.  The  boys  did  not  altogether  like  the 
state  of  affairs.  That  afternoon,  however,  he  and  their 
Cousin  Belle  let  the  boys  go  out  walking  with  them,  and  he 
was  just  as  hearty  as  he  could  be  ;  he  made  them  tell  him 
all  about  capturing  the  deserter,  and  about  catching  the 
hogs,  and  everything  they  did.  They  told  him  all  about  their 
"  Robbers'  Cave,"  down  in  the  woods  near  where  an  old 
house  had  stood.  It  was  between  two  ravines  near  a  spring 
they  had  found.  They  had  fixed  up  the  "  cave  "  with  boards 
and  old  pieces  of    carpet  "  and   everything,"  and   they  told 


TWO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  99 

him,  as  a  secret,  how  to  get  to  It  through  the  pines  without 
leaving  a  trail.  He  had  to  give  the  holy  pledge  of  the 
"  Brotherhood  "  before  this  could  be  divulged  to  him  ;  but 
he  took  it  with  a  solemnity  which  made  the  boys  almost  for- 
give the  presence  of  their  Cousin  Belle.  It  was  a  little  awk- 
ward at  first  that  she  was  present ;  but  as  the  "  Constitution  " 
provided  only  as  to  admitting  men  to  the  mystic  knowledge, 
saying  nothing  about  women,  this  difficulty  was,  on  the  Gen- 
eral's suggestion,  passed  over,  and  the  boys  fully  explained 
the  location  of  the  spot,  and  how  to  get  there  by  turning  off 
abruptly  from  the  path  through  the  big  woods  right  at  the 
pine  thicket, — and  all  the  rest  of  the  way. 

"  'T  ain't  a  '  sure-enough  '  cave,"  explained  Willy  ;  "  but 
it  's  'most  as  good  as  one.  The  old  rock  fire-place  is  just 
like  a  cave." 

"  The  gullies  are  so  deep  you  can't  get  there  except  that 
one  way,"  declared  Frank. 

"  Even  the  Yankees  could  n't  find  you  there,"  asserted 
Willy. 

"  I  don't  believe  anybody  could,  after  that  ;  but  I  trust 
they  will  never  have  to  try,"  laughed  their  Cousin  Belle,  with 
an  anxious  look  in  her  bright  eyes  at  the  mere  thought. 

That  night  they  were  at  supper,  about  eight  o'clock,  when 
something  out-of-doors  attracted  the  attention  of  the  party 
around  the  table.  It  was  a  noise, — a  something  indefina- 
ble, but  the  talk  and  mirth  stopped  suddenly,  and  everybody 
listened. 


TIVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


There  was  a  call,  and  the  hurried  steps  of  some  one  run- 
ning, just  outside  the  door,  and  Lucy  Ann  burst  into  the 
room,  her  face  ashy  pale. 

"  The  yard's  full  o'  mens — Yankees,"  she  gasped,  just  as 
the  General  and  Hugh  rose  from  the  table. 

"  How  many  are  there  ?  "  asked  both  gentlemen. 

"  They  's  all  'roun'  the  house  ev'y  which  a-way." 

The  General  looked  at  his  sweetheart.  She  came  to  his 
side  with  a  cry. 

"  Go  up  stairs  to  the  top  of  the  house,"  called  the  boys' 
mother. 

"  We  can  hide  you  ;  come  with  us,"  said  the  boys. 

"  Go  up  the  back  way,  Frank  'n'  Willy,  to  you-all's  den," 
whispered  Lucy  Ann. 

"  That 's  where  we  are  going,"  said  the  boys  as  she  went 
out. 

"You  all  come  on  !  "     This  to  the  General  and  Hugh. 

"  The  rest  of  you  take  your  seats,"  said  the  boys'  mother. 

All  this  had  occupied  only  a  few  seconds.  The  soldiers 
followed  the  boys  out  by  a  side-door  and  dashed  up  the  nar- 
row stairs  to  the  second-story  just  as  a  thundering  knocking 
came  at  the  front  door.  It  was  as  dark  as  pitch,  for  candles 
were  too  scarce  to  burn  more  than  one  at  a  time. 

"You  run  back,"  said  Hugh  to  the  boys,  as  they  groped 
along.      "  There  are  too  many  of  us.      I  know  the  way." 

But  it  was  too  late  ;  the  noise  down  stairs  told  that  the 
enemy  was  already  in  the  house  ! 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


As  the  soldiers  left  the  supper-room,  the  boys'  mother 
had  hastily  removed  two  plates  from  the  places  and  set  two 
chairs  back  against  the  wall  ;  she  made  the  rest  fill  up  the 
spaces,  so  that  there  was  nothing  to  show  that  the  two  men 
had  been  there. 

She  had  hardly  taken  her  seat  again,  when  the  sound  of 
heavy  footsteps  at  the  door  announced  the  approach  of  the 
enemy.  She  herself  rose  and  went  to  the  door  ;  but  it  was 
thrown  open  before  she  reached  it  and  an  officer  in  full  Fed- 
eral uniform  strode  in,  followed  by  several  men. 

The  commander  was  a  tall  young  fellow,  not  older  than 
the  General.  The  lady  started  back  somewhat  startled,  and 
there  was  a  confused  chorus  of  exclamations  of  alarm  from 
the  rest  of  those  at  the  table.  The  officer,  finding  himself  in 
the  presence  of  ladies,  removed  his  cap  with  a  polite  bow. 

"  I  hope,  madam,  that  you  ladies  will  not  be  alarmed,"  he 
said.  "You  need  be  under  no  apprehension,  I  assure  you." 
Even  while  speaking,  his  eye  had  taken  a  hasty  survey  of  the 
room. 

"  We  desire  to  see  General  Marshall,  who  is  at  present  in 
this  house,  and  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  include  your  son  in  my 
requisition.  We  know  that  they  are  here,  and  if  they  are 
given  us,  I  promise  you  that  nothing  shall  be  disturbed." 

"  You  appear  to  be  so  well  instructed  that  I  can  add  Jittle 
to  your  information,"  said  the  mistress  of  the  house,  haught- 
ily. "  I  am  glad  to  say,  however,  that  I  hardly  think  you 
will  find  them." 


riFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


"  Madam,  I  know  they  are  here,"  said  the  young  soldier 
positively,  but  with  great  politeness.  "  I  have  positive  in- 
formation to  that  effect.  They  arrived  last  evening  and 
have  not  left  since.  Their  horses  are  still  in  the  stable.  I 
am  sorry  to  be  forced  to  do  violence  to  my  feelings,  but  I 
must  search  the  house.      Come,  men." 

"  I  doubt  not  you  have  found  their  horses,"  began  the 
lady,  but  she  was  interrupted  by  Lucy  Ann,  who  entered  at 
the  moment  with  a  plate  of  fresh  corn-cakes,  and  caught  the 
last  part  of  the  sentence. 

"  Come  along,  Mister,"  she  said,  "  I  '11  show  you  myself." 
and  she  set  down  her  plate,  took  the  candle  from  the  table, 
and  walked  to  the  door,  followed  by  the  soldiers. 

"  Lucy  Ann  !  "  exclaimed  her  mistress  ;  but  she  was  too 
much  amazed  at  the  girl's  conduct  to  say  more. 

"  I  know  whar  dey  is  !  "  Lucy  Ann  continued,  taking  no 
notice  of  her  mistress.  They  heard  her  say,  as  she  was  shut- 
ting the  door,  "  Y'  all  come  with  me  ;  I  'feared  they  gone  ; 
ef  they  ain't,  I  know  whar  they  is  !  " 

"  Open  every  room,"  said  the  officer. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir  ;  I  gwine  ketch  'em  for  you,"  she  said,  eagerly 
opening  first  one  door,  and  then  the  other,  "that  is,  ef  they 
ain'  gone.  I  mighty  'feared  they  gone.  I  seen  'em  goin'  out 
the  back  way  about  a  little  while  befo'  you  all  come, — but  I 
thought  they  might  'a'  come  back.  Mister,  ken  y'  all  teck 
me  'long  with  you  when  you  go  ?"  she  asked  the  officer,  in  a 
low  voice.     "  I  want  to  be  free." 


TWO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  103 


"  I  don't  know  ;  we  can  some  other  time,  if  not  now.  We 
are  going  to  set  you  all  free." 

"Oh,  glory  !  Come  'long,  Mister  ;  let's  ketch  'em.  They 
ain't  heah,  but  I  know  whar  dey  is." 

The  soldiers  closely  examined  every  place  where  it  was 
possible  a  man  could  be  concealed,  until  they  had  been  over 
all  the  lower  part  of  the  house. 

Lucy  Ann  stopped.      "  Dey's  gone  !  "  she  said  positively. 

The  ofificer  motioned  to  her  to  go  up  stairs. 

"Yes,  sir,  I  wuz  jes'  goin'  tell  you  we  jes'  well  look  up- 
stairs, too,"  she  said,  leading  the  way,  talking  all  the  time, 
and  shading  the  flickering  candle  with  her  hand. 

The  little  group,  flat  on  the  floor  against  the  wall  in  their 
dark  retreat,  could  now  hear  her  voice  distinctly.  She  was 
speaking  in  a  confidential  undertone,  as  if  afraid  of  being 
overheard. 

"  I  wonder  I  did  n't  have  sense  to  get  somebody  to  watch 
'em  when  they  went  out,"  they  heard  her  say. 

"  She  's  betrayed  us  !"  whispered  Hugh. 

The  General  merely  said,  ."  Hush,"  and  laid  his  hand 
firmly  on  the  nearest  boy  to  keep  him  still.  Lucy  Ann  led 
the  soldiers  into  the  various  chambers  one  after  another.  At 
last  she  opened  the  next  room,  and,  through  the  wall,  the 
men  in  hiding  heard  the  soldiers  go  in  and  walk  about. 

They  estimated  that  there  were  at  least  half-a-dozen. 

"Is  n't  there  a  garret?"  asked  one  of  the  searching 
party. 


I04  TIFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


"  Nor,  sir,  't  ain't  no  garret,  jes'  a  loft  ;  but  they  ain't  up 
there,"  said  Lucy  Ann's  voice. 

"  We  '11  look  for  ourselves."  They  came  out  of  the  room. 
"  Show  us  the  way." 

"  Look  here,  if  you  tell  us  a  lie,  we'll  hang  you  !  " 

The  voice  of  the  of^cer  was  very  stern. 

"  I  ain'  gwine  tell  you   no  lie,  Mister.      What  you  reckon 

I  wan'  tell  you  lie  for  ?     Dey  ain'   in  the  garret,  I  know, 

Mister,  please  don't  p'int  dem  things  at  me.  I  's  'feared  o' 
dem  things,"  said  the  girl  in  a  slightly  whimpering  voice  ;  "  I 
gwine  show  you." 

She  came  straight  down  the  passage  toward  the  recess 
where  the  fugitives  were  huddled,  the  men  after  her,  their 
heavy  steps  echoing  through  the  house.  The  boys  were 
trembling  violently.  The  light,  as  the  searchers  came  nearer, 
fell  on  the  wall,  crept  along  it,  until  it  lighted  up  the  whole 
alcove,  except  where  they  lay.  The  boys  held  their  breath. 
They  could  hear  their  hearts  thumping. 

Lucy  Ann  stepped  into  the  recess  with  her  candle,  and 
looked  straight  at  them. 

"They  ain't  in  here,"  she  exclaimed,  suddenly  putting  her 
hand  up  before  the  flame,  as  if  to  prevent  it  flaring,  thus 
throwing  the  alcove  once  more  into  darkness.  "  The  trap- 
door to  the  garret  's  'roun'  that  a-way,"  she  said  to  the  sol- 
diers, still  keeping  her  position  at  the  narrow  entrance,  as  if 
to  let  them  pass.  When  they  had  all  passed,  she  followed 
them. 


TIFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  105 

The  boys  began  to  wriggle  with  deUght,  but  the  General's 
strong  hand  kept  them  still. 

Naturally,  the  search  in  the  garret  proved  fruitless,  and 
the  hiding-party  heard  the  squad  swearing  over  their  ill-luck 
as  they  came  back  ;  while  Lucy  Ann  loudly  lamented  not 
having  sent  some  one  to  follow  the  fugitives,  and  made  a 
number  of  suggestions  as  to  where  they  had  gone,  and  the 
probability  of  catching  them  if  the  soldiers  went  at  once  in 
pursuit. 

"  Did  you  look  in  here  ? "  asked  a  soldier  approaching  the 
alcove. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  they  ain't  in  there."  She  snuffed  the  candle 
out  suddenly  with  her  fingers.  "  Oh,  oh  ! — my  light  done 
gone  out  !  Mind  !  Let  me  go  in  front  and  show  you  the 
way,"  she  said  ;  and,  pressing  before,  she  once  more  led  them 
along  the  passage. 

"  Mind  yo'  steps  ;  ken  you  see  ?  "  she  asked. 

They  went  down  stairs,  while  Lucy  Ann  gave  them  minute 
directions  as  to  how  they  might  catch  "  Marse  Hugh  an'  the 
Gen'l  "  at  a  certain  place  a  half-mile  from  the  house  (an  un- 
occupied quarter),  which  she  carefully  described. 

A  further  investigation  ensued  downstairs,  but  in  a  little 
while  the  searchers  went  out  of  the  house.  Their  tone  had 
changed  since  their  disappointment,  and  loud  threats  floated 
up  the  dark  stairway  to  the  prisoners  still  crouching  in  the 
little  recess. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  boys'  Cousin  Belle  came  rushing 
up  stairs. 


io6  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  Now's  your  time  !  Come  quick,"  she  called  ;  "  they  will 
be  back  directly.  Is  n't  she  an  angel  !  "  The  whole  party 
sprang  to  their  feet,  and  ran  down  to  the  lower  floor. 

"  Oh,  we  were  so  frightened  !  "  "  Don't  let  them  see 
you."  "  Make  haste,"  were  the  exclamations  that  greeted 
them  as  the  two  soldiers  said  their  good-byes  and  prepared  to 
leave  the  house. 

"  Go  out  by  the  side-door  ;  that  's  your  only  chance. 
It 's  pitch-dark,  and  the  bushes  will  hide  you.  But  where  are 
you  going  ?  " 

"  We  are  going  to  the  boys'  cave,"  said  the  General,  buck- 
ling on  his  pistol  ;  "  I  know  the  way,  and  we  '11  get  away  as 
soon  as  these  fellows  leave,  if  we  cannot  before." 

"  God  bless  you  !  "  said  the  ladies,  pushing  them  away  in 
dread  of  the  enemy's  return. 

"Come  on,  General,"  called  Hugh  in  an  undertone.  The 
General  was  lagging  behind  a  minute  to  say  good-bye  once 
more.  He  stooped  suddenly  and  kissed  the  boys'  Cousin 
Belle  before  them  all. 

"Good-bye.  God  bless  you!"  and  he  followed  Hugh 
out  of  the  window  into  the  darkness.  The  girl  burst  into 
tears  and  ran  up  to  her  room. 

A  few  seconds  afterward  the  house  was  once  more  filled 
with  the  enemy,  growling  at  their  ill-luck  in  having  so  nar- 
rowly missed  the  prize. 

"  We  '11  catch  'em  yet,"  said  the  leader. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  raiders  were  up  earjy  next  morning  scouring  the 
woods  and  country  around.  They  knew  that  the  fugi- 
tive soldiers  could  not  have  gone  far,  for  the  Federals 
had  every  road  picketed,  and  their  main  body  was  not  far 
away.  As  the  morning  wore  on,  it  became  a  grave  question 
at  Oakland  how  the  two  soldiers  were  to  subsist.  They 
had  no  provisions  with  them,  and  the  roads  were  so  closely 
watched  that  there  was  no  chance  of  their  obtaining  any. 
The  matter  was  talked  over,  and  the  boys'  mother  and  Cousin 
Belle  were  in  despair. 

"  They  can  eat  their  shoes,"  said  Willy,  reflectively. 

The  ladies  exclaimed  in  horror. 

"  That's  what  men  always  do  when  they  get  lost  in  a  wil- 
derness where  there  is  no  game." 

This  piece  of  information  from  Willy  did  not  impress  his 
hearers  as  much  as  he  supposed  it  would. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  !  Let  me  and  Frank  go  and  carry  'em 
something  to  eat !  " 

"  How  do  you  know  where  they  are  ?  " 

"They  are  at  our  Robber's  Cave,  are  n't  they,  Cousin 
Belle  ?  We  told  the  General  yesterday  how  to  get  there, 
did  n't  we  ?" 


io8  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  Yes,  and  he  said  last  ni^ht  that  he  would  ^o  there." 

Willy's  idea  seemed  a  good  one,  and  the  offer  was 
accepted.  The  boys  were  to  go  out  as  if  to  see  the  troops, 
and  were  to  take  as  much  food  as  they  thought  could  pass 
for  their  luncheon.  Their  mother  cooked  and  put  up  a 
luncheon  large  enough  to  have  satisfied  the  appetites  of  two 
young  Brobdingnagians,  and  they  set  out  on  their  relief  expe- 
dition. 

The  two  sturdy  little  figures  looked  full  of  importance  as 
they  strode  off  up  the  road.  They  carried  many  loving  mes- 
sages. Their  Cousin  Belle  gave  to  each  separately  a  long 
whispered  message  which  each  by  himself  was  to  deliver  to 
the  General.      It  was  thought  best  not  to  hazard  a  note. 

They  were  watched  by  the  ladies  from  the  portico  until 
they  disappeared  over  the  hill.  They  took  a  path  which 
led  into  the  woods,  and  walked  cautiously  for  fear  some  of 
the  raiders  might  be  lurking  about.  However,  the  boys  saw 
none  of  the  enemy,  and  in  a  little  while  they  came  to  a 
point  where  the  pines  began.  Then  they  turned  into  the 
woods,  for  the  pines  were  so  thick  the  boys  could  not  be  seen, 
and  the  pine  tags  made  it  so  soft  under  foot  that  they  could 
walk  without  making  any  noise. 

They  were  pushing  their  way  through  the  bushes,  when 
Frank  suddenly  stopped. 

"  Hush  !  "  he  said. 

Willy  halted  and  listened. 

"  There  they  are." 


7TV0  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  109 

—  -  — ^ 

From  a  little  distance  to  one  side,  in  the  direction  of  the 
path  they  had  just  left,  they  heard  the  tramplioi,^  of  a  num- 
ber of  horses'  feet. 

"  That's  not  our  men,"  said  Willy.  "  Hugh  and  the 
General  have  n't  any  horses  " 

"  No  ;  that's  the  Yankees,"  said  Frank.  "  Let's  lie  down. 
They  may  hear  us." 

The  boys  flung  themselves  upon  the  ground  and  almost 
held  their  breath  until  the  horses  had  passed  out  of  hearing. 

"  Do  you  reckon  they  are  hunting  for  us  ?"  asked  Willy 
in  an  awed  whisper. 

"  No,  for  Hugh  and  the  General.      Come  on." 

They  rose,  went  tipping  a  little  deeper  into  the  pines,  and 
again  made  their  way  toward  the  cave. 

"  Maybe  they  've  caught  'em,"  suggested  Willy. 

"  They  can't  catch  'em  in  these  pines,"  replied  Frank. 
"  You  can't  see  any  distance  at  all.  A  horse  can't  get  through, 
and  the  General  and  Hugh  could  shoot  'em,  and  then  get 
away  before  they  could  catch  'em." 

They  hurried  on. 

"  Frank,  suppose  they  take  us  for  Yankees  ?  " 

Evidently  Willy's  mind  had  been  busy  since  Frank's  last 
speech. 

"  They  are  n't  going  to  shoot  2ts''  said  Frank  ;  but  it  was 
an  unpleasant  suggestion,  for  they  were  not  very  far  from 
the  dense  clump  of  pines  between  two  gullies,  which  the 
boys  called  their  cave. 


TIVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


"  We  can  whistle,"  he  said,  presently. 

"Won't  Hugh  and  the  General  think  we  are  enemies 
trying  to  surround  them?"  Willy  objected.  The  dilemma 
was  a  serious  one.  "We  '11  have  to  crawl  up,"  said  Frank, 
after  a  pause. 

And  this  was  agreed  upon.  They  were  soon  on  the  edge 
of  the  deep  gully  which,  on  one  side,  protected  the  spot  from 
all  approach.  They  scrambled  down  its  steep  side  and  began 
to  creep  along,  peeping  over  its  other  edge  from  time  to 
time,  to  see  if  they  could  discover  the  clearing  which  marked 
the  little  green  spot  on  top  of  the  hill,  where  once  had  stood 
an  old  cabin.  The  base  of  the  ruined  chimney,  with  its  im- 
mense fire-place,  constituted  the  boys'  "  cave."  They  were 
close  to  it,  now,  and  felt  themselves  to  be  in  irfiminent  dan- 
ger of  a  sweeping  fusillade.  They  had  just  crept  up  to  the 
top  of  the  ravine  and  were  consulting,  when  some  one  imme- 
diately behind  them,  not  twenty  feet  away,  called  out  : 

"  Hello!  What  are  you  boys  doing  here  ?  Are  you  try- 
ing to  capture  us  ?  " 

They  jumped  at  the  unexpected  voice.  The  General 
broke  into  a  laugh.  He  had  been  sitting  on  the  ground  on 
the  other  side  of  the  declivity,  and  had  been  watching  their 
manoeuvres  for  some  time. 

He  brought  them  to  the  house-spot  where  Hugh  was 
asleep  on  the  ground  ;  he  had  been  on  watch  all  the  morn- 
ing, and,  during  the  General's  turn,  was  making  up  for  his 
lost  sleep.      He  was  soon  wide   awake  enough,   and  he  and 


TIFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


the  General,  with  appetites  bearing  witness  to  their  long  fast, 
were  without  delay  engaged  in  disposing  of  the  provisions 
which  the  boys  had  brought. 

The  boys  were  delighted  with  the  mystery  of  their  sur- 
roundings. Each  in  turn  took  the  General  aside  and  held  a 
long  interview  with  him,  and  gave  him  all  their  Cousin 
Belle's  messages.  No  one  had  ever  treated  them  with  such 
consideration  as  the  General  showed  them.  The  two  men 
asked  the  boys  all  about  the  dispositions  of  the  enemy,  but 
the  boys  had  little  to  tell. 

"  They  are  after  us  pretty  hotly,"  said  the  General.  "I 
think  they  are  going  away  shortly.  It  's  nothing  but  a  raid, 
and  they  are  moving  on.  We  must  get  back  to  camp  to- 
night." 

"  How  are  you  going?"  asked  the  boys.  "You  have  n't 
any  horses." 

"  We  are  going  to  get  some  of  their  horses,"  said  the  offi- 
cer. ''  They  have  taken  ours— now  they  must  furnish  us  with 
others." 

It  was  about  time  for  the  boys  to  start  for  home.  The 
General  took  each  of  them  aside,  and  talked  for  a  long  time. 
He  was  speaking  to  Willy,  on  the  edge  of  the  clearing,  when 
there  was  a  crack  of  a  twig  in  the  pines.  In  a  second  he  had 
laid  the  boy  on  his  back  in  the  soft  grass  and  whipped  out  a 
pistol.  Then,  with  a  low,  quick  call  to  Hugh,  he  sprang 
swiftly  into  the  pines  toward  the  sound. 

"Crawl  down  into  the  ravine,  boys,"  called  Hugh,  follow- 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


ing  his  companion.  The  boys  rolled  down  over  the  bank 
like  little  ground-hogs;  but  in  a  second  they  heard  a  familiar 
drawling  voice  call  out  in  a  subdued  tone  : 

•'  Hold  on,  Cunnel  !  it  's  nobody  but  me  ;  don't  you  know 
me?"  And,  in  a  moment,  they  heard  the  General's  aston- 
ished and  somewhat  stern  reply  : 

"Mills,  what  are  you  doing  here?  Who's  with  you? 
What  do  you  want?" 

"Well,"  said  the  new-comer,  slowly,  "I  'lowed  I  'd  come 
to  see  if  I  could  be  o'  any  use  to  you.  I  heard  the  Yankees 
had  run  you  'way  from  Oakland  last  night,  and  was  sort  o' 
huntin'  for  you.  Fact  is,  they  's  been  up  my  way,  and  I  sort 
o'  'lowed  I  'd  come  an'  see  ef  I  could  help  you  git  back  to 
camp." 

"  Where  have  you  been  all  this  time?  1  wonder  you  are 
not  ashamed  to  look  me  in  the  face  !" 

The  General's  voice  was  still  stern.  He  had  turned 
around  and  walked  back  to  the  cleared  space. 

The  deserter  scratched  his  head  in  perplexity. 

"  I  need  n'  'a'  come,"  he  said,  doggedly.  "  Where  's  them 
boys?  I  don'  want  the  boys  hurted.  I  seen  'em  comin' 
here,  an'  I  jes'  followed  'em  to  see  they  did  n't  get  in  no 
trouble.     But " 

This  speech  about  the  boys  effected  what  the  offer  of  per- 
sonal service  to  the  General  himself  had  failed  to  bring  about. 

"  Sit  down  and  let  me  talk  to  you,"  said  the  General, 
throwing  himself  on  the  grass. 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


Mills  seated  himself  cross-legged  near  the  officer,  with  his 
gun  across  his  knees,  and  began  to  bite  a  straw  which  he 
pulled  from  a  tuft  by  his  side. 

The  boys  had  come  up  out  of  their  retreat,  and  taken 
places  on  each  side  of  the  General. 

"You  all  take  to  grass  like  young  partridges,"  said  the 
hunter.  The  boys  were  flattered,  for  they  considered  any 
notice  from  him  a  compliment. 

"  What  made  you  fool  us,  and  send  us  to  catch  that  con- 
script-guard ?  "  Frank  asked. 

"  Well,  you  ketched  him,  did  n't  you  ?  You  're  the  only 
ones  ever  been  able  to  ketch  him,"  he  said,  with  a  low  chuckle. 

"  Now,  Mills,  you  know  how  things  stand,"  said  the  Gen- 
eral. "  It 's  a  shame  for  you  to  have  been  acting  this  way. 
You  know  what  people  say  about  you.  But  if  you  come 
back  to  camp  and  do  your  duty,  I  '11  have  it  all  straightened 
out.      If  you  don't,  I  '11  have  you  shot." 

His  voice  was  as  calm  and  his  manner  as  composed 
as  if  he  were  promising  the  man  opposite  him  a  reward 
for  good  conduct.  He  looked  Mills  steadily  in  the  eyes  all 
the  time.  The  boys  felt  as  if  their  friend  were  about  to  be 
executed.  The  General  seemed  an  immeasurable  distance 
above  them. 

The  deserter  blinked  twice  or  thrice,  slowly  bit  his  shred 
of  straw,  looked  casually  first  toward  one  boy  and  then  to- 
ward the  other,  but  without  the  slightest  change  of  expres- 
sion in  his  face. 


114  TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  Cun'l,"  he  said,  at  length,  "  I  ain't  no  deserter.  I  ain't 
feared  of  bein'  shot.  Ef  I  was,  I  would  n'  'a'  come  here 
now.  I  'm  gwine  wid  you,  an'  I  'm  gwine  back  to  my  com- 
pany ;  an'  I  'm  gwine  fight,  ef  Yankees  gits  in  my  way  ;  but 
ef  I  gits  tired,  I  's  comin'  home  ;  an'  tain't  no  use  to  tell  you 
I  ain't,  'cause  I  is, — an'  ef  anybody  flings  up  to  me  that  I  's 
a-runnin'  away,  I  'm  gwine  to  kill  'em  !" 

He  rose  to  his  feet  in  the  intensity  of  his  feeling,  and  his 
eyes,  usually  so  dull,  were  like  live  coals. 

The  General  looked  at  him  quietly  a  few  seconds,  then 
himself  arose  and  laid  his  hand  on  Tim  Mills'  shoulder. 

"  All  right,"  he  said, 

"  I  got  a  little  snack  M'lindy  put  up,"  said  Mills,  pulling 
a  substantial  bundle  out  of  his  game-bag.  "  I  'lowed  maybe 
you  might  be  sort  o'  hongry.  Jes'  two  or  three  squirrels 
I  shot,"  he  said,  apologetically. 

"  You  boys  better  git  long  home,  I  reckon,"  said  Mills 
to  Willy.  "  You  ain'  'fraid,  is  you?  'Cause  if  you  is,  I  '11  go 
with  you." 

His  voice  had  resumed  its  customary  drawl. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  both  boys,  eagerly.      "  We  are  n't  afraid." 

"  An'  tell  your  ma  I  ain'  let  nobody  tetch  nothin'  on  the 
Oakland  plantation  ;  not  sence  that  day  you  all  went  huntin' 
deserters  ;   not  if  I  knowed  'bout  it." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"An'  tell  her  I  'm  gwine  take  good  keer  o'  Hugh  an'  the 
Gunnel.      Good-bye  ! — now  run  along  !  " 


rJFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


"  All  right,  sir, — good-bye." 

"  An'  ef  you  hear  anybody  say  Tim  Mills  is  a  d'serter,  tell 
'em  it 's  a  lie,  an'  you  know  it.  Good-bye."  He  turned  away 
as  if  relieved. 

The  boys  said  good-bye  to  all  three,  and  started  in  the 
direction  of  home. 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

AFTER  crossing  the  gully,  and  walking  on  through  the 
woods  for  what  they  thought  a  safe  distance,  they 
turned  into  the  path. 

They  were  talking  very  merrily  about  the  General  and 
Hugh  and  their  friend  Mills,  and  were  discussing  some  ro- 
mantic plan  for  the  recapture  of  their  horses  from  the  enemy, 
when  they  came  out  of  the  path  into  the  road,  and  found 
themselves  within  twenty  yards  of  a  group  of  Federal  sol- 
diers, quietly  sitting  on  their  horses,  evidently  guarding  the 
road. 

The  sight  of  the  blue-coats  made  the  boys  jump.  They 
would  have  crept  back,  but  it  was  too  late — they  caught  the 
eye  of  the  man  nearest  them.  They  ceased  talking  as 
suddenly  as  birds  in  the  trees  stop  chirruping  when  the  hawk 
sails  over  ;  and  when  one  Yankee  called  to  them,  in  a  stern 
tone,  "  Halt  there  !  "  and  started  to  come  toward  them,  their 
hearts  were  In  their  mouths. 

"  Where  are  you  boys  going  ?  "  he  asked,  as  he  came  up 
to  them. 

"  Going  home." 

"  Where  do  you  belong  ?  " 

"  Over  there — at  Oakland,"  pointing  in  the  direction   of 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


their  home,  which  seemed  suddenly  to  have  moved  a  thou- 
and  miles  aways. 

"  Where  have  you  been  ?"  The  other  soldiers  had  come 
up  now. 

"  Been  down  this  way."  The  boys'  voices  were  never  so 
meek  before.     Each  reply  was  like  an  apology. 

"  Been  to  see  your  brother  ?  "  asked  one  who  had  not 
spoken  before — a  pleasant  looking  fellow.  The  boys  looked 
at  him.  They  were  paralyzed  by  dread  of  the  approaching 
question. 

"  Now,  boys,  we  know  where  you  have  been,"  said  a  small 
fellow,  who  wore  a  yellow  chevron  on  his  arm.  He  had  a 
thin  moustache  and  a  sharp  nose,  and  rode  a  wiry,  dull  sorrel 
horse.  "  You  may  just  as  well  tell  us  all  about  it.  We  know 
you  've  been  to  see  'em,  and  we  are  going  to  make  you  carry 
us  where  they  are." 

"  No,  we  ain't,"  said  Frank,  doggedly. 

Willy  expressed  his  determination  also. 

"  If  you  don't  it  's  going  to  be  pretty  bad  for  you,"  said 
the  little  corporal.  He  gave  an  order  to  two  of  the  men, 
who  sprang  from  their  horses,  and,  catching  Frank,  swung 
him  up  behind  another  cavalryman.  The  boy's  face  was  very 
pale,  but  he  bit  his  lip. 

"  Go  ahead," — continued  the  corporal  to  a  number  of  his 
men,  who  started  down  the  path.  "  You  four  men  remain 
here  till  we  come  back,"  he  said  to  the  men  on  the  ground, 
and  to  two  others  on  horseback,      "  Keep   him  here,"  jerking 


ii8  TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

his  thumb  toward  Willy,  whose  face  was  already  burning 
with  emotion. 

"  I  'm  going  with  Frank,"  said  Willy.  "  Let  me  go." 
This  to  the  man  who  had  hold  of  him  by  the  arm.  "  Frank, 
make  him  let  me  go,"  he  shouted,  bursting  into  tears,  and 
turning  on  his  captor  with  all  his  little  might. 

"Willy,  he  's  not  goin'  to  hurt  you, — don't  you  tell!" 
called  Frank,  squirming  until  he  dug  his  heels  so  into  the 
horse's  flanks  that  the  horse  began  to  kick  up. 

"  Keep  quiet,  Johnny  ;  he  's  not  goin'  to  hurt  him,"  said 
one  of  the  men,  kindly.  He  had  a  brown  beard  and  shin- 
ing white  teeth. 

They  rode  slowly  down  the  narrow  path,  the  dragoon 
holding  Frank  by  the  leg.  Deep  down  in  the  woods,  beyond 
a  small  branch,  the  path  forked. 

"  Which  way  ?"  asked  the  corporal,  stopping  and  address- 
ing Frank. 

Frank  set  his  mouth  tight  and  looked  him  in  the  eyes. 

"  Which  is  it  ?  "  the  corporal  repeated. 

"  I  ain't  going  to  tell,"  said  he,  firmly. 

"  Look  here,  Johnny  ;  we  've  got  you,  and  we  are  going 
to  make  you  tell  us  ;  so  you  might  just  as  well  do  it,  easy. 
If  you  don't,  we  're  goin'  to  make  you." 

The  boy  said  nothing. 

"  You  men  dismount.  Stubbs,  hold  the  horses."  He 
himself  dismounted,  and  three  others  did  the  same,  giving 
their  horses  to  a  fourth. 


THE    BOY    FACED    HIS   CAPTOR,   WHO    HELD    A    STRAP    IN    ONE    HAND. 


TJVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


"  Get  down  ?  "—this  to  Frank  and  the  soldier  behind 
whom  he  was  riding.  The  soldier  dismounted,  and  the  boy 
slipped  off  after  him  and  faced  his  captor,  who  held  a  strap  in 
one  hand. 

"  Are  you  goin'  to  tell  us  ? "  he  asked. 

''  No." 

"  Don't  you  know  ?  "  He  came  a  step  nearer,  and  held 
the  strap  forward.  There  was  a  long  silence.  The  boy's 
face  paled  perceptibly,  but  took  on  a  look  as  if  the  proceed- 
ings were  indifferent  to  him. 

"  If  you  say  you  don't  know  "—said  the  man,  hesitating 
in  face  of  the  boy's  resolution.  "  Don't  you  know  where 
they  are  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  know  ;  but  I  ain't  goin'  to  tell  you,"  said  Frank, 
bursting  into  tears. 

"The  little  Johnny  's  game,"  said  the  soldier  who  had  told 
him  the  others  were  not  going  to  hurt  Willy.  The  corporal 
said  something  to  this  man  in  an  undertone,  to  which  he 
replied  : 

"  You  can  try,  but  it  is  n't  going  to  do  any  good.  I  don't 
half  like  it,  anyway." 

Frank  had  stopped  crying  after  his  first  outburst. 

"  If  you  don't  tell,  we  are  going  to  shoot  you,"  said  the 
little  soldier,  drawing  his  pistol. 

The  boy  shut  his  mouth  close,  and  looked  straight  at  the 
corporal.  The  man  laid  down  his  pistol,  and,  seizing  Frank, 
drew  his  hands  behind  him,  and  tied  them. 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


"Get  ready,  men,"  he  said,  as  he  drew  the  boy  aside  to  a 
small  tree,  putting  him  with  his  back  to  it. 

Frank  thought  his  hour  had  come.  He  thought  of  his 
mother  and  Willy,  and  wondered  if  the  soldiers  would  shoot 
Willy,  too.  His  face  twitched  and  grew  ghastly  white.  Then 
he  thought  of  his  father,  and  of  how  proud  he  would  be  of 
his  son's  bravery  when  he  should  hear  of  it.  This  gave  him 
strength. 

"The  knot — hurts  my  hands,"  he  said. 

The  man  leaned  over  and  eased  it  a  little. 

"  I  was  n't  crying  because  I  was  scared,"  said  Frank. 

The  kind  looking  fellow  turned  away. 

"  Now,  boys,  get  ready,"  said  the  corporal,  taking  up  his 
pistol. 

How  large  it  looked  to  Frank.  He  wondered  where  the 
bullets  would  hit  him,  and  if  the  wounds  would  bleed,  and 
whether  he  would  be  left  alone  all  night  out  there  in  the 
woods,  and  if  his  mother  would  come  and  kiss  him. 

"  I  want  to  say  my  prayers,"  he  said,  faintly. 

The  soldier  made  some  reply  which  he  could  not  hear, 
and  the  man  with  the  beard  started  forward  ;  but  just  then 
all  grew  dark  before  his  eyes. 

Next,  he  thought  he  must  have  been  shot,  for  he  felt  wet 
about  his  face,  and  was  lying  down.  He  heard  some  one  say, 
"  He  's  coming  to  ;"  and  another  replied,  "  Thank  God  ! " 

He  opened  his  eyes.  He  was  lying  beside  the  little 
branch  with  his  head  in  the  lap  of  the  big  soldier  with  the 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


t23 


beard,  and  the  little  corporal  was  leaning  over  him  throwing 
water  in  his  face  from  a  cap.  The  others  were  standing 
around. 

"What  's  the  matter  ?"  asked  Frank. 

"That  's  all  right,"  said  the  little  corporal,  kindly.  "We 
were  just  a-foolin'  a  bit  with  you,  Johnny." 

"  We  never  meant  to  hurt  you,"  said  the  other.  "  You 
feel  better  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  where  's  Willy  ?  "      He  was  too  tired  to  move. 

"  He  's  all  right.     We  '11  take  you  to  him." 

"  Am  I  shot  ?  "  asked  Frank. 

"  No  !  Do  you  think  we  'd  have  touched  a  hair  of  your 
head — and  you  such  a  brave  little  fellow  ?  We  were  just  try- 
ing to  scare  you  a  bit  and  carried  it  too  far,  and  you  got  a 
little  faint,— that  's  all." 

The  voice  was  so  kindly  that  Frank  was  encouraged  to  sit 
up. 

"  Can  you  walk  now  ?  "  asked  the  corporal,  helping  him 
and  steadying  him  as  he  rose  to  his  feet. 

"  I  '11  take  him,"  said  the  big  fellow,  and  before  the  boy 
could  move,  he  had  stooped,  taken  Frank  in  his  arms,  and 
was  carrying  him  back  toward  the  place  where  they  had  left 
Willy,  while  the  others  followed  after  with  the  horses. 

"  I  can  walk,"  said  Frank. 

"  No,  I  '11  carry  you,  b-bless  your  heart  !  " 

The  boy  did  not  know  that  the  big  dragoon  was  looking 
down  at  the  light  hair  resting  on  his  arm,  and  that  while  he 


124  ^^^O   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

trod  the  Virginia  wood-path,  in  fancy  he  was  home  in  Dela- 
ware ;  or  that  the  pressure  the  boy  felt  from  his  strong  arms, 
was  a  caress  given  for  the  sake  of  another  boy  far  away  on 
the  Brandywine.  A  little  while  before  they  came  in  sight 
Frank  asked  to  be  put  down. 

The  soldier  gently  set  him  on  his  feet,  and  before  he  let 
him  go  kissed  him. 

"  I  've  got  a  curly-headed  fellow  at  home,  just  the  size  of 
you,"  he  said  softly, 

Frank  saw  that  his  eyes  were  moist.  "  I  hope  you  '11  get 
safe  back  to  him,"  he  said. 

"  God  grant  it  !  "  said  the  soldier. 

When  they  reached  the.  squad  at  the  gate,  they  found 
Willy  still  in  much  distress  on  Frank's  account  ;  but  he  wiped 
his  eyes  when  his  brother  reappeared,  and  listened  with  pride 
to  the  soldiers'  praise  of  Frank's  "  grit  "  as  they  called  it. 
When  they  let  the  boys  go,  the  little  corporal  wished  Frank  to 
accept  a  five-dollar  gold  piece  ;  but  he  politely  declined  it. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  story  of  Frank's  adventure  and  courage  was  the  talk 
of  all  the  Oakland  plantation.  His  mother  and  Cousin 
Belle  both  kissed  him  and  called  him  their  little  hero. 
Willy  also  received  a  full  share  of  praise  for  his  courage. 

About  noon  there  was  great  commotion  among  the  troops. 
They  were  far  more  numerous  than  they  had  been  in  the 
morning,  and  instead  of  riding  about  the  woods  in  small 
bodies,  hunting  for  the  concealed  soldiers,  they  were  collect- 
ing together  and  preparing  to  move. 

It  was  learned  that  a  considerable  body  of  cavalry  was 
passing  down  the  road  by  Trinity  Church,  and  that  the  depot 
had  been  burnt  again  the  night  before.  Somehow,  a  rumor 
got  about  that  the  Confederates  were  following  up  the 
raiders. 

In  an  hour  most  of  the  soldiers  went  away,  but  a  number 
still  stayed  on.  Their  horses  were  picketed  about  the  yard 
feeding  ;  and  they  themselves  lounged  around,  making  them- 
selves at  home  in  the  house,  and  pulling  to  pieces  the  things 
that  were  left.  They  were  not,  however,  as  wanton  in  their 
destruction  as  the  first  set,  who  had  passed  by  the  year 
before. 

Among  those  who  yet  remained  were  the  little  corporal, 


126  nVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

and  the  big  young  soldier  who  had  been  so  kind  to  Frank. 
They  were  in  the  rear-guard.  At  length  the  last  man  rode 
off. 

The  boys  had  gone  in  and  out  among  them,  without  being 
molested.  Now  and  then  some  rough  fellow  would  swear  at 
them,  but  for  the  most  part  their  intercourse  with  the  boys 
was  friendly.  When,  therefore,  they  rod'e  off,  the  boys  were 
allov/ed  by  their  mother  to  go  and  see  the  main  body. 

Peter  and  Cole  were  with  them.  They  took  the  main 
road  and  followed  along,  picking  up  straps,  and  cartridges, 
and  all  those  miscellaneous  things  dropped  by  a  large  body 
of  troops  as  they  pass  along. 

Cartridges  were  very  valuable,  as  they  furnished  the  only 
powder  and  shot  the  boys  could  get  for  hunting,  and  their 
supply  was  out.  These  were  found  in  unusual  numbers. 
The  boys  filled  their  pockets,  and  finally  filled  their  sleeves, 
tying  them  tightly  at  the  wrist  with  strings,  so  that  the 
contents  would  not  spill  out.  One  of  the  boys  found  even 
an  old  pistol,  which  was  considered  a  great  treasure.  He 
bore  it  proudly  in  his  belt,  and  was  envied  by  all   the  others. 

It  was  quite  late  in  the  afternoon  when  they  thought  of 
turning  toward  home,  their  pockets  and  sleeves  bagging  down 
with  the  heavy  musket-cartridges.  They  left  the  Federal 
rear-guard  feeding  their  horses  at  a  great  white  pile  of  corn 
v/hich  had  been  thrown  out  of  the  corn-house  of  a  neighbor, 
and  was  scattered  all  over  the  ground. 

They  crossed  a  field,  descended  a  hill,  and  took  the  main 


TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  127 

road  at  its  foot,  just  as  a  body  of  cavalry  came  in  sight.  A 
small  squad,  riding  some  little  distance  in  advance  of  the  main 
body,  had  already  passed  by.  These  were  Confederates. 
The  first  man  they  saw,  at  the  head  of  the  column  by  the 
colonel,  was  the  General,  and  a  little  behind  him  was  none 
other  than  Hugh  on  a  gray  roan  ;  while  not  far  down  the 
column  rode  their  friend  Tim  Mills,  looking  rusty  and  sleepy 
as  usual. 

"Goodness!  Why  here  are  the  General  and  Hugh! 
How  in  the  world  did  you  get  away  ?  "  exclaimed  the  boys. 

They  learned  that  it  was  a  column  of  cavalry  following 
the  line  of  the  raid,  and  that  the  General  and  Hugh  had  met 
them  and  volunteered.  The  soldiers  greeted  the  boys  cor- 
dially. 

"  The  Yankees  are  right  up  there,"  said  the  youngsters. 

"Where?  How  many?  What  are  they  doing  ? "  asked 
the  General. 

"  A  whole  pack  of  'em — right  up  there  at  the  stables,  and 
all  about,  feeding  their  horses  and  sitting  all  around,  and 
ever  so  many  more  have  gone  along  down  the  road." 

"  Fling  the  fence  down  there  !  "  The  boys  pitched  down 
the  rails  in  two  or  three  places.  An  order  was  passed  back, 
and  in  an  instant  a  stir  of  preparation  was  noticed  all  down 
the  line  of  horsemen. 

A  courier  galloped  up  the  road  to  recall  the  advance- 
guard.  The  head  of  the  column  passed  through  the  gap, 
and,  without  waiting  for  the  others,  dashed  up  the  hill  at  a 


128  TWO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

gallop — the  General  and  the  colonel  a  score  of  yards  ahead 
of  any  of  the  others. 

"Let's  go  and  see  the  fight !"  cried  the  boys;  and  the 
whole  set  started  back  up  the  hill  as  fast  as  their  legs  could 
carry  them. 

"  S'pose  they  shoot  !  Won't  they  shoot  us?"  asked  one 
of  the  negro  boys,  in  some  apprehension.  This,  though 
before  unthought  of,  was  a  possibility,  and  for  a  moment 
brought  them  down  to  a  slower  pace. 

"  We  can  lie  flat  and  peep  over  the  top  of  the  hill."  This 
was  Frank's  happy  thought,  and  the  party  started  ahead  again. 
"  Let's  go  around  that  way."     They  made  a  little  detour. 

Just  before  they  reached  the  crest  they  heard  a  shot, 
"  bang  !  "  immediately  followed  by  another,  "  bang  !  "  and  in 
a  second  more  a  regular  volley  began,  and  was  kept  up. 

They  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill  in  time  to  see  the  Con- 
federates gallop  up  the  slope  toward  the  stables,  firing  their 
pistols  at  the  blue-coats,  who  were  forming  in  the  edge  of  a 
little  wood,  over  beyond  a  fence,  from  the  other  side  of  which 
the  smoke  of  their  carbines  was  rolling.  They  had  evidently 
started  on  just  as  the  boys  left,  and  before  the  Confederates 
came  in  sight. 

The  boys  saw  their  friends  dash  at  this  fence,  and  could 
distinguish  the  General  and  Hugh,  who  were  still  in  the 
lead.  Their  horses  took  the  fence,  going  over  like  birds, 
and  others  followed, — Tim  Mills  among  them, — while  yet 
more  went  through  a  gate  a  few  yards  to  one  side. 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  129 

"  Look  at  Hugh  !     Look  at  Hugh  !  " 

"  Look  !  That  horse  has  fallen  down  ! "  cried  one  of  the 
boys,  as  a  horse  went  down  just  at  the  entrance  of  the  wood, 
rolling  over  his  rider. 

"  He's  shot  !  "  exclaimed  Frank,  for  neither  horse  nor 
rider  attempted  to  rise. 

"  See  ;  they  are  running !  " 

The  little  squad  of  blue-coats  were  retiring  into  the  woods, 
with  the  grays  closely  pressing  them. 

"  Let  's  cut  across  and  see  'em  run  'em  over  the  bridge." 

"  Come  on  !  " 

All  the  little  group  of  spectators,  white  and  black,  started 
as  hard  as  they  could  go  for  a  path  they  knew,  which  led  by 
a  short  cut  througli  the  little  piece  of  woods.  Beyond  lay  a 
field  divided  by  a  stream,  a  short  distance  on  the  other  side  of 
which  was  a  large  body  of  woods. 

The  popping  was  still  going  on  furiously  in  the  woods,  and 
bullets  were  "  zoo-ing  "  over  the  fields.  But  the  boys  could 
not  see  anything,  and  they  did  not  think  about  the  frying 
balls. 

They  were  all  excitement  at  the  idea  of  "  our  men  " 
whipping  the  enemy,  and  they  ran  with  all  their  might  to 
be  in  time  to  see  them  "chase  'em  across  the  field." 

The  road  on  which  the  skirmish  took  place,  and  down 
which  the  Federal  rear-guard  had  retreated,  made  a  sharp 
curve  beyond  the  woods,  around  the  bend  of  a  little  stream 
crossed  by  a  small  bridge  ;  and  the  boys,  in  taking  the  short 


I30  riVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

cut,  had  placed  the  road  between  themselves  and  home  ;  but 
they  did  not  care  about  that,  for  their  men  were  driving  the 
others.     They  "just  wanted  to  see  it." 

They  reached  the  edge  of  the  field  in  time  to  see  that 
the  Yankees  were  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream.  The)' 
knew  them  to  be  where  puffs  of  smoke  came  out  of  the  oppo- 
site wood.  And  the  Confederates  had  stopped  beyond  the 
bridge,  and  were  halted,  in  some  confusion,  in  the  field. 

The  firing  was  very  sharp,  and  bullets  were  singing  in 
every  direction.  Then  the  Confederates  got  together,  and 
went  as  hard  as  they  could  right  af  them  up  to  the  wood,  all 
along  the  edge  of  which  the  smoke  was  pouring  in  continuous 
puffs  and  with  a  rattle  of  shots.  They  saw  several  horses  fall 
as  the  Confederates  galloped  on,  but  the  smoke  hid  most  of 
it.  Next  they  saw  a  long  line  of  fire  appear  in  the  smoke  on 
both  sides  of  the  road,  where  it  entered  the  wood  ;  then  the 
Confederates  stopped,  and  became  all  mixed  up  ;  a  number  of 
horses  galloped  away  without  their  riders,  another  line  of 
white  and  red  flame  came  out  of  the  woods,  the  Confeder- 
ates began  to  come  back,  leaving  many  horses  on  the  ground, 
and  a  body  of  cavalry  in  blue  coats  poured  out  of  the  wood 
in  pursuit. 

"  Look  !  look  !  They  are  running — they  are  beating  our 
men  !"  exclaimed  the  boys.  "They  have  driven  'em  back 
across  the  bridge  !  " 

"  How  many  of  them  there  are!" 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?     Suppose  they  see  us  !  " 


TIFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  133 

"  Come  on,  Mah'srs  Frank  'n'  Willy,  let  's  go  home,"  said 
the  colored  boys.      "  They  '11  shoot  us." 

The  fight  was  now  in  the  woods  which  lay  between  the 
boys  and  their  home.  But  just  then  the  gray-coats  got 
together,  again  turned  at  the  edge  of  the  wood,  and  dashed 
back  on  their  pursuers,  and — the  smoke  and  bushes  on  the 
stream  hid  everything.  In  a  second  more  both  emerged  on 
the  other  side  of  the  smoke  and  went  into  the  woods  on  the 
further  edge  of  the  field,  all  in  confusion,  and  leaving  on  the 
ground  more  horses  and  men  than  before. 

"  What 's  them  things  '  zip-zippin  '  'round  my  ears  ?"  asked 
one  of  the  negro  boys. 

"  Bullets,"  said  Frank,  proud  of  his  knowledge. 

"  Will  they  hurt  me  if  they  hit  me  ?" 

"  Of  course  they  will.      They  '11  kill  you." 

"  I  'm  gwine  home,"  said  the  boy,  and  off  he  started  at  a 
trot. 

"Hold  on! — We're  goin',  too;  but  let's  go  down  this 
way  ;  this  is  the  best  way." 

They  went  along  the  edge  of  the  field,  toward  the  point 
in  the  road  where  the  skirmish  had  been  and  where  the  Con- 
federates had  rallied.  They  stopped  to  listen  to  the  popping 
in  the  woods  on  the  other  side,  and  were  just  saying  how  glad 
they  were  that  "  our  men  had  whipped  them,"  when  a  soldier 
came  along. 

"  What  in  the  name  of  goodness  are  you  boys  doing 
here  ?  "  he  asked. 


134  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  We  're  just  looking  on  an'  lis'ning,"  answered  the  boys 
meekly. 

"  Well,  you  'd  better  be  getting  home  as  fast  as  you  can. 
They  are  too  strong  for  us,  and  they  '11  be  driving  us  back 
directly,  and  some  of  you  may  get  killed  or  run  over." 

This  was  dreadful  !  Such  an  idea  had  never  occurred  to 
the  boys.     A  panic  took  possession  of  them. 

"  Come  on  !  Let  's  go  home  !  "  This  was  the  universal 
idea,  and  in  a  second  the  whole  party  were  cutting  straight 
for  home,  utterly  stampeded. 

They  could  readily  have  found  shelter  and  security  back 
over  the  hill,  from  the  flying  balls  ;  but  they  preferred  to  get 
home,  and  they  made  straight  for  it  The  popping  of  the 
guns,  which  still  kept  up  in  the  woods  across  the  little  river, 
now  meant  to  them  that  the  victorious  Yankees  were  driving 
back  their  friends.  They  believed  that  the  bullets  which 
now  and  then  yet  whistled  over  the  woods  with  a  long,  sing- 
ing "zoo-ee,"  were  aimed  at  them.  For  their  lives,  then, 
they  ran,  expecting  to  be  killed  every  minute. 

The  load  of  cartridges  in  their  pockets,  which  they  had 
carried  for  hours,  weighed  them  down.  As  they  ran  they 
threw  these  out.  Then  followed  those  in  their  sleeves. 
Frank  and  the  other  boys  easily  got  rid  of  theirs,  but  Willy 
had  tied  the  strings  around  his  wrists  in  such  hard  knots 
that  he  could  not  possibly  untie  them.  He  was  falling 
behind. 

Frank  heard   him    call.      Without   slacking  his  speed  he 


TJVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  135 

looked  back  over  his  shoulder.  Willy's  face  was  red,  and  his 
mouth  was  twitching.  He  was  sobbing  a  little,  and  was  tear- 
ing at  the  strings  with  his  teeth  as  he  ran.  Then  the  strings 
came  loose  one  after  the  other,  the  cartridges  were  shaken 
out  over  the  ground,  and  Willy's  face  at  once  cleared  up  as 
he  ran  forward  lightened  of  his  load. 

They  had  passed  almost  through  the  narrow  skirt  of 
woods  where  the  first  attack  was  made,  when  they  heard  some 
one  not  far  from  the  side  of  the  road  call,  "  Water  !  " 

The  boys  stopped.  "What  's  that?"  they  asked  each 
other  In  a  startled  undertone.  A  groan  came  from  the  same 
direction,  and  a  voice  said,  "  Oh,  for  some  water  !  " 

A  short,  whispered  consultation  was  held. 

"  He  's  right  up  on  that  bank.      There  's  a  road  up  there." 

Frank  advanced  a  little ;  a  man  was  lying  somewhat 
propped  up  against  a  tree.  His  eyes  were  closed,  and  there 
was  a  ghastly  wound  in  his  head. 

"  Willy,  It 's  a  Yankee,  and  he  's  shot." 

"  Is  he  dead  ?"  asked  the  others,  in  awed  voices. 

"  No.      Let  's  ask  him  if  he  's  hurt  much." 

They  all  approached  him.  His  eyes  were  shut  and  his 
face  was  ashy  white. 

"  Willy,  it  's  my  Yankee  !  "  exclaimed  Frank. 

The  wounded  man  moved  his  hand  at  the  sound  of  the 
voices. 

"  Water,"  he  murmured.  "  Bring  me  water,  for  pity's 
sake !  " 


136  riVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  I  '11  get  you  some, — don't  you  know  me  ?  Let  me  have 
your  canteen,"  said  Frank,  stooping  and  taking  hold  of  the 
canteen.  It  was  held  by  its  strap  ;  but  the  boy  whipped  out 
a  knife  and  cut  it  loose. 

The  man  tried  to  speak;  but  the  boys  could  not  under- 
stand him. 

"  Where  are  you  goin'  get  it,  Frank  ?"  asked  the  other  boys. 

"  At  the  branch  down  there  that  runs  into  the  creek." 

"  The  Yankees  '11  shoot  you  down  there,"  objected  Peter 
and  Willy. 

"  /  ain'  gwine  that  way,"  said  Cole. 

The  soldier  groaned. 

"/'//  go  with  you,  Frank,"  said  Willy,  who  could  not 
stand  the  sight  of  the  man's  suffering. 

"  We  '11  be  back  directly." 

The  two  boys  darted  off,  the  others  following  them  at  a 
little  distance.  They  reached  the  open  field.  The  shooting 
was  still  going  on  in  the  woods  on  the  other  side,  but  they 
no  longer  thought  of  it.  They  ran  down  the  hill  and  dashed 
across  the  little  flat  to  the  branch  at  the  nearest  point,  washed 
the  blood  from  the  canteen,  and  filled  it  with  the  cool  water. 

"  I  wish  we  had  something  to  wash  his  face  with,"  sighed 
Willy,  "but  I  have  n't  got  a  handkerchief." 

"  Neither  have  I."  Willy  looked  thoughtful.  A  second 
more  and  he  had  stripped  off  his  light  sailor's  jacket  and 
dipped  it  in  the  water.  The  next  minute  the  two  boys  were 
running  up  the  hill  again. 


T^VO    LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  137 

When  they  reached  the  spot  where  the  wounded  man  lay, 
he  had  slipped  down  and  was  flat  on  the  ground.  His  feeble 
voice  still  called  for  water,  but  was  much  weaker  than  before. 
Frank  stooped  and  held  the  canteen  to  the  man's  lips,  and  he 
drank.  Then  Willy  and  Frank,  together,  bathed  his  face 
with  the  still  dripping  cotton  jacket.  This  revived  him  some- 
what ;  but  he  did  not  recognize  them  and  talked  incoherently. 
They  propped  up  his  head. 

"  Frank,  it  's  getting  mighty  late,  and  we  've  got  to  go 
home,"  said  Willy. 

The  boys'  voice  or  words  reached  the  ears  of  the  wounded 
man. 

"  Take  me  home,"  he  murmured  ;  "  I  want  some  water 
from  the  well  by  the  dairy." 

"  Give  him  some  more  water." 

Willy  lifted  the  canteen.      "  Here  it  is." 

The  soldier  swallowed  with  difficulty. 

He  could  not  raise  his  hand  now.  There  was  a  pause. 
The  boys  stood  around,  looking  down  on  him.  "  I  've  come 
back  home,"  he  said.      His  eyes  were  closed. 

"  He  's  dreaming,"  whispered  Willy. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  anybody  die  ?"  asked  Frank,  In  a  low 
tone. 

Willy's  face  paled. 

"  No,  Frank  ;  let 's  go  home  and  tell  somebody." 

Frank  stooped  and  touched  the  soldier's  face.  He  was 
talking  all  the  time  now,  tl^ough  they  could  not  understand 


138  riVO  LITTLE  CONFEDERATES. 

everything    he    said.       The    boy's     touch    seemed    to    rouse 
him. 

"  It  's  bedtime,"  he  said,  presently.  "  Kneel  down  and 
say  your  prayers  for  Father." 

"  Willy,  let 's  say  our  prayers  for  him,"  whispered 
Frank. 

"  I  can  say,  '  Now  I  lay  me.'  "  But  before  he  could 
begin, 

"  '  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep,'  "  said  the  soldier  ten- 
derly. The  boys  followed  him,  thinking  he  had  heard  them. 
They  did  not  know  that  he  was  saying — for  one  whom  but 
that  morning  he  had  called  "his  curly-head  at  home  " — the 
prayer  that  is  common  to  Virginia  and  to  Delaware,  to  North 
and  to  South,  and  which  no  wars  can  silence  and  no  victories 
cause  to  be  forgotten. 

The  soldier's  voice  now  was  growing  almost  inaudible. 
He  spoke  between  long-drawn  breaths. 

"  '  If  I  should  die  before  I  wake,'  " 

"  '  If  I  should  die  before  I  wake,'  "  they  repeated,  and 
continued  the  prayer. 

"  '  And  this  I  ask  for  Jesus'  sake,'  "  said  the  boys,  ending. 
There  was  a  long  pause.  Frank  stroked  the  pale  face  softly 
with  his  hand. 

"  '  And  this  I  ask  for  Jesus'  sake,  "  whispered  the  lips. 
Then,  very  softly,  "  Kiss  me  good-night." 

"  Kiss  him,  Frank." 

The  boy  stooped  over  and  kissed  the  lips  that  had  kissed 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  139 

him  in  the  morning.  Willy  kissed  him,  also.  The  lips 
moved  in  a  faint  smile. 

"  God  bless " 

The  boys  waited,  — but  that  was  all.  The  dusk  settled 
down  in  the  woods.     The  prayer  was  ended. 

"  He  's  dead,"  said  Frank,  in  deep  awe. 

"Frank,  are  n't  you  mighty  sorry?"  asked  Willy  in  a 
trembling  voice.     Then  he  suddenly  broke  out  crying. 

"  I  don't  want  him  to  die  I     I  don't  want  him  to  die!  " 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

WHEN  the  boys  reached  home  it  was  pitch-dark. 
They  found  their  mother  very  anxious  about  them. 
They  gave  an  account  of  the  "  battle,"  as  they  called 
it,  telling  all  about  the  charge,  in  which,  by  their  statement, 
the  General  and  Hugh  did  wonderful  deeds.  Their  motl^er 
and  Cousin  Belle  sat  and  listened  with  tightly  folded  hands 
and  blanched  faces. 

Then  they  told  how  they  found  the  wounded  Yankee  sol- 
dier on  the  bank,  and  about  his  death.  They  were  startled 
by  seeing  their  Cousin  Belle  suddenly  fall  on  her  knees  and 
throw  herself  across  their  mother's  lap  in  a  passion  of  tears. 
Their  mother  put  her  arms  around  the  young  girl,  kissed  and 
soothed  her. 

Early  the  next  morning  their  mother  had  an  ox-cart  (the 
only  vehicle  left  on  the  place,)  sent  down  to  the  spot  to  bring 
the  body  of  the  soldier  up  to  Oakland,  so  that  it  might  be 
buried  in  the  grave-yard  there.  Carpenter  William  made  the 
coffin,  and  several  men  were  set  to  work  to  dig  the  grave  in 
the  garden. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  the  day  when  the  cart  came 
back.  A  sheet  covered  the  body.  The  little  cortege  was  a 
very  solemn  one,  the  steers  pulling  slowly  up  the  hill  and  a 
man  walking  on  each  side.     Then  the  body  was  put  into  the 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  141 

coffin  and  reverently  carried  to  the  grave.  The  boys'  mother 
read  the  burial  service  out  of  the  prayer-book,  and  afterward 
Uncle  William  Slow  offered  a  prayer.  Just  as  they  were 
about  to  turn  away,  the  boys'  mother  began  to  sing,  "  Abide 
with  me  ;  fast  falls  the  eventide."  She  and  Cousin  Belle  and 
the  boys  sang  the  hymn  together,  and  then  all  walked  sadly 
away,  leaving  the  fresh  mound  in  the  garden,  where  birds 
peeped  curiously  from  the  lilac-bushes  at  the  soldier's  grave 
in  the  warm  light  of  the  afternoon  sun. 

A  small  packet  of  letters  and  a  gold  watch  and  chain, 
found  In  the  soldier's  pocket,  were  sealed  up  by  the  boys' 
mother  and  put  In  her  bureau  drawer,  for  they  could  not  then 
be  sent  through  the  lines.  There  was  one  letter,  however, 
which  they  buried  with  him.  It  contained  two  locks  of  hair, 
one  gray,  the  other  brown  and  curly. 

The  next  few  months  brought  no  new  incidents,  but  the 
following  year  deep  gloom  fell  upon  Oakland.  It  was  not 
only  that  the  times  were  harder  than  they  had  ever  been  — 
though  the  plantation  was  now  utterly  destitute  ;  there  were 
no  provisions  and  no  crops,  for  there  were  no  teams.  It  was 
not  merely  that  a  shadow  was  settling  down  on  all  the  land  ; 
for  the  boys  did  not  trouble  themselves  about  these  things, 
though  such  anxieties  were  bringing  gray  hairs  to  their 
mother's  temples. 

The  General  had  been  wounded  and  captured  during  a 
cavalry-fight.     The  boys    somehow    connected    their  Cousin 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


Belle  with  the  General's  capture,  and  looked  on  her  with  some 
disfavor.  She  and  the  General  had  quarrelled  a  short  time 
before,  and  it  was  known  that  she  had  returned  his  ring. 
When,  therefore,  he  was  shot  through  the  body  and  taken  by 
the  enemy,  the  boys  could  not  admit  that  their  cousin  had 
any  right  to  stay  up-stairs  in  her  own  room  weeping  about  it. 
They  felt  that  it  was  all  her  own  fault,  and  they  told  her  so  ; 
whereupon  she  simply  burst  out  crying  and  ran  from  the 
room. 

The  hard  times  grew  harder.  The  shadow  deepened. 
Hugh  was  wounded  and  captured  in  a  charge  at  Petersburg, 
and  it  was  not  known  whether  he  was  badly  hurt  or  not. 
Then  came  the  news  that  Richmond  had  been  evacuated. 
The  boys  knew  that  this  was  a  defeat  ;  but  even  then  they 
did  not  believe  that  the  Confederates  were  beaten.  Their 
mother  was  deeply  affected  by  the  news. 

That  night  at  least  a  dozen  of  the  negroes  disappeared. 
The  other  servants  said  the  missing  ones  had  gone  to  Rich- 
mond "to  get  their  papers." 

A  week  or  so  later  the  boys  heard  the  rumor  that  General 
Lee  had  surrendered  at  a  place  called  Appomattox.  When 
they  came  home  and  told  their  mother  what  they  had  heard, 
she  turned  as  pale  as  death,  arose,  and  went  into  her  cham- 
ber. The  news  was  corroborated  next  day.  During  the  fol- 
lowing two  days,  every  negro  on  the  plantation  left,  excepting 
lame  old  Sukey  Brown.  Some  of  them  came  and  said  they 
had  to  go  to  Richmond,  that  "  the  word  had  come  "  for  them. 


TIFO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  143 

Others,  including  even  Uncle  Balla  and  Lucy  Ann,  slipped 
away  by  night. 

After  that  their  mother  had  to  cook,  and  the  boys  milked 
and  did  the  heavier  work.  The  cooking  was  not  much 
trouble,  however,  for  black-eyed  pease  were  about  all  they 
had  to  eat. 

One  afternoon,  the  second  day  after  the  news  of  Lee's 
surrender,  the  boys,  who  had  gone  to  drive  up  the  cows  to 
be  milked,  saw  two  horsemen,  one  behind  the  other,  coming 
slowly  down  the  road  on  the  far  hill.  The  front  horse  was 
white,  and,  as  their  father  rode  a  white  horse,  they  ran 
toward  the  house  to  carry  the  news.  Their  mother  and 
Cousin  Belle,  however,  having  seen  the  horsemen,  were 
waiting  on  the  porch  as  the  men  came  through  the  middle 
gate  and  rode  across  the  field. 

It  was  their  father  and  his  body-servant,  Ralph,  who  had 
been  with  him  all  through  the  war.  They  came  slowly  up 
the  hill  ;  the  horses  limping  and  fagged,  the  riders  dusty  and 
drooping. 

It  seemed  like  a  funeral.  The  boys  were  near  the  steps, 
and  their  mother  stood  on  the  portico  with  her  forehead  rest- 
ing against  a  pillar.  No  word  was  spoken.  Into  the  yard 
they  rode  at  a  walk,  and  up  to  the  porch.  Then  their  father, 
who  had  not  once  looked  up,  put  both  hands  to  his  face, 
slipped  from  his  horse,  and  walked  up  the  steps,  tears  run- 
ning down  his  cheeks,  and  took  their  mother  into  his  arms. 
It  was  a  funeral — the  Confederacy  was  dead. 


144  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

A  little  later,  their  father,  who  had  been  in  the  house, 
came  out  on  the  porch  near  where  Ralph  still  stood  holding 
the  horses. 

"  Take  off  the  saddles,  Ralph,  and  turn  the  horses  out," 
he  said. 

Ralph  did  so. 

"  Here,— here  's  my  last  dollar.  You  have  been  a  faith- 
ful servant  to  me.  Put  the  saddles  on  the  porch."  It  was 
done.  "  You  are  free,"  he  said  to  the  black,  and  then  he 
walked  back  into  the  house. 

Ralph  stood  where  he  was  for  some  minutes  without  mov- 
ing a  muscle.  His  eyes  blinked  mechanically.  Then  he 
looked  at  the  door  and  at  the  windows  above  him.  Suddenly 
he  seemed  to  come  to  himself.  Turning  slowly,  he  walked 
solemnly  out  of  the  yard. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE  boys'  Uncle  William  came  the  next  day.  The  two 
weeks  which  followed  were  the  hardest  the  boys  had 
ever  known.  As  yet  nothing  had  been  heard  of  Hugh 
or  the  General,  though  the  boys'  father  went  to  Richmond  to 
see  whether  they  had  been  released. 

The  family  lived  on  corn-bread  and  black-eyed  pease. 
There  was  not  a  mouthful  of  meat  on  the  plantation.  A  few 
aged  animals  were  all  that  remained  on  the  place. 

The  boys'  mother  bought  a  little  sugar  and  made  some 
cakes,  and  the  boys,  day  after  day,  carried  them  over  to  the 
depot  and  left  them  with  a  man  there  to  be  sold.  Such  a 
thing  had  never  been  known  before  in  the  history  of  the 
family. 

A  company  of  Yankees  were  camped  very  near,  but  they 
did  not  interfere  with  the  boys.  They  bought  the  cakes  and 
paid  for  them  in  greenbacks,  which  were  the  first  new  money 
they  had  at  Oakland.  One  day  the  boys  were  walking  along 
the  road,  coming  back  from  the  camp,  when  they  met  a  little 
old  one-horse  wagon  driven  by  a  man  who  lived  near  the 
depot.  In  it  were  a  boy  about  Willy's  size  and  an  old  lady 
with  white  hair,  both  in  deep  mourning.  The  boy  was  better 
dressed  than  any  boy  they  had  ever  seen.  They  were 
strangers. 


146  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

The  boys  touched  their  Hmp  Httle  hats  to  the  lady,  and 
felt  somewhat  ashamed  of  their  own  patched  clothes  in  the 
presence  of  the  well-dressed  stranger.  Frank  and  Willy 
passed  on.  They  happened  to  look  back.  The  wagon 
stopped  just  then,  and  the  lady  called  them  : 

"  Little  boys  !  " 

They  halted  and  returned. 

"  We  are  looking  for  my  son  ;  and  this  gentleman  tells 
me  that  you  live  about  here,  and  know  more  of  the  country 
than  any  one  else  I  may  meet." 

"  Do  you  know  where  any  graves  is  ? — Yankee  graves  ?  " 
asked  the  driver,  cutting  matters  short, 

"  Yes,  there  are  several  down  on  the  road  by  Pigeon  Hill, 
where  the  battle  was,  and  two  or  three  by  the  creek  down 
yonder,  and  there  's  one  in  our  garden." 

"  Where  was  your  son  killed,  ma'am  ?  Do  you  know  that 
he  was  killed  ?  "  asked  the  driver, 

"  I  do  not  know.  We  fear  that  he  was  ;  but,  of  course, 
we  still  hope  there  may  have  been  some  mistake.  The  last 
seen  of  him  was  when  General  Sheridan  went  through  this 
country,  last  year.  He  was  with  his  company  in  the  rear- 
guard, and  was  wounded  and  left  on  the  field.  We  hoped  he 
might  have  been  found  in  one  of  the  prisons  ;  but  there  is  no 
trace  of  him,  and  we  fear " 

She  broke  down  and  began  to  cry.  "  He  was  my  only 
son,"  she  sobbed,  "  my  only  son — and  I  gave  him  up  for  the 
Union,  and "     She  could  say  no  more. 


THE    BOYS    SELL    THEIR    CAKES    TO    THE    YANKEES. 


TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  149 

Her  distress  affected  the  boys  deeply. 

"  If  I  could  but  find  his  grave.  Even  that  would  be 
better  than  this  agonizing  suspense." 

"  What  was  your  son's  name  ?  "  asked  the  boys,  gently. 

She  told  them. 

"  Why,  that's  our  soldier  !  "  exclaimed  both  boys. 

"  Do  you  know  him  ?  "  she  asked  eagerly.  "  Is —  ?  Is —  ?  " 
Her  voice  refused  to  frame  the  fearful  question. 

"  Yes,  'm.  In  our  garden,"  said  the  boys,  almost  inaudi- 
bly. 

The  mother  bent  her  head  over  on  her  grandson's  shoul- 
der and  wept  aloud.  Awful  as  the  suspense  had  been,  now 
that  the  last  hope  was  removed  the  shock  was  terrible.  She 
gave  a  stifled  cry,  then  wept  with  uncontrollable  grief. 

The  boys,  with  pale  faces  and  eyes  moist  with  sympathy, 
turned  away  their  heads  and  stood  silent.  At  length  she 
grew  calmer. 

"  Won't  you  come  home  with  us  ?  Our  father  and  mother 
will  be  so  glad  to  have  you,"  they  said,  hospitably. 

After  questioning  them  a  little  further,  she  decided  to  go. 
The  boys  climbed  into  the  back  of  the  wagon.  As  they  went 
along,  the  boys  told  her  all  about  her  son, — his  carrying 
Frank,  their  finding  him  wounded  near  the  road,  and  about 
his  death  and  burial. 

"  He  was  a  real  brave  soldier,"  they  told  her  consolingly. 

As  they  approached  the  house,  she  asked  whether  they 
could  give  her  grandson  something  to  eat. 


150  TWO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed.  Certainly,"  they  answered.  Then, 
thinking  perhaps  they  were  raising  her  hopes  too  high,  they 
explained  apologetically  : 

"  We  have  n't  got  much.  We  did  n't  kill  any  squirrels 
this  morning.  Both  our  guns  are  broken  and  don't  shoot 
very  well,  now." 

She  was  much  impressed  by  the  appearance  of  the  place, 
which  looked  very  beautiful  among  the  trees. 

"  Oh,  yes,  they're  big  folks,"  said  the  driver. 

She  would  have  waited  at  the  gate  when  they  reached  the 
house,  but  the  boys  insisted  that  they  all  should  come  in  at 
once.  One  of  them  ran  forward  and,  meeting  his  mother 
just  coming  out  to  the  porch,  told  who  the  visitor  was. 

Their  mother  instantly  came  down  the  steps  and  walked 
toward  the  gate.  The  women  met  face  to  face.  There  was 
no  introduction.      None  was  needed. 

"  My  son — "  faltered  the  elder  lady,  her  strength  giving 
out. 

The  boy's  mother  put  her  handkerchief  to  her  eyes. 

"  I  have  one,  too  ; — God  alone  knows  where  he  is,"  she 
sobbed. 

Each  knew  how  great  was  the  other's  loss,  and  in  sympa- 
thy with  another's  grief  found  consolation  for  her  own. 


SOME    OF    THE    SERVANTS   CAME    BACK    TO    THEIR    OLD    HOME. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

THE  visitors  remained  at  Oakland  for  several  days,  as 
the  lady  wished  to  have  her  son's  remains  removed  to 
the  old  homestead  in  Delaware.  She  was  greatly  dis- 
tressed over  the  want  which  she  saw  at  Oakland — for  there 
was  literally  nothing  to  eat  but  black-eyed  pease  and  the 
boys'  chickens.  Every  incident  of  the  war  interested  her. 
She  was  delighted  with  their  Cousin  Belle,  and  took  much 
interest  in   her  story,  which  was  told  by  the  boys'  mother. 

Her  grandson,  Dupont,  was  a  fine,  brave,  and  generous 
young  fellow.  He  had  spent  his  boyhood  near  a  town,  and 
could  neither  ride,  swim,  nor  shoot  as  the  Oakland  boys  did  ; 
but  he  was  never  afraid  to  try  anything,  and  the  boys  took  a 
great  liking  to  him,  and  he  to  them. 

When  the  young  soldier's  body  had  been  removed,  the 
visitors  left ;  not,  however,  until  the  boys  had  made  their 
companion  promise  to  pay  them  a  visit.  After  the  departure 
of  these  friends  they  were  much  missed. 

But  the  next  day  there  was  a  great  rejoicing  at  Oakland. 
Every  one  was  in  the  dining-room  at  dinner,  and  the  boys' 
father  had  just  risen  from  the  table  and  walked  out  of  the 
room.  A  second  later  they  heard  an  exclamation  of  aston- 
ishment from  him,  and  he  called  eagerly  to  his  wife,  "  Come 


TIVO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 


here,  quickly  ! "  and  ran  down  the  steps.  Every  one  rose 
and  ran  out.  Hugh  and  the  General  were  just  entering  the 
yard. 

They  were  pale  and  thin  and  looked  ill  ;  but  all  the  past 
was  forgotten  in  the  greeting. 

The  boys  soon  knew  that  the  General  was  making  his 
peace  with  their  Cousin  Belle,  who  looked  prettier  than  ever. 
It  required  several  long  walks  before  all  was  made  right;  but 
there  was  no  disposition  toward  severity  on  either  side.  It 
was  determined  that  the  wedding  was  to  take  place  very 
soon.  The  boys'  father  suggested,  as  an  objection  to  an  im- 
mediate wedding,  that  since  the  General  was  just  half  his 
usual  size,  it  would  be  better  to  wait  until  he  should  regain 
his  former  proportions,  so  that  all  of  him  might  be  married  ; 
but  the  General  would  not  accept  the  proposition  for  delay, 
and  Cousin  Belle  finally  consented  to  be  married  at  once. 

The  old  place  was  in  a  great  stir  over  the  preparations. 
A  number  of  the  old  servants,  including  Uncle  Balla  and 
Lucy  Ann,  had  one  by  one  come  back  to  their  old  home. 
The  trunks  in  the  garret  were  ransacked  once  more,  and 
enough  was  found  to  make  up  a  wedding  trousseau  of  two 
dresses. 

Hugh  was  to  be  the  General's  best  man,  and  the  boys 
were  to  be  the  ushers.  The  only  difficulty  was  that  their 
patched  clothes  made  them  feel  a  little  abashed  at  the  prom- 
inent   roles    they  were    to    assume.      However,   their  mother 


TWO  LITTLE   CONFEDERATES.  155 

made  them  each  a  nice  jacket  from  a  striped  dress,  one  of  her 
only  two  dresses,  and  she  adorned  them  with  the  mihtary  brass 
buttons  their  father  had  had  taken  from  his  coat  ;  so  they  felt 
very  proud.  Their  father,  of  course,  was  to  give  the  bride 
away, — an  office  he  accepted  with  pleasure,  he  said,  provided 
he  did  not  have  to  move  too  far,  which  might  be  hazard- 
ous so  long  as  he  had  to  wear  his  spurs  to  keep  the  soles 
on  his  boots. 

Thus,  even  amid  the  ruins,  the  boys  found  life  joyous, 
and  if  they  were  without  everything  else,  they  had  life,  health, 
and  hope.  The  old  guns  were  broken,  and  they  had  to  ride 
in  the  ox-cart  ;  but  they  hoped  to  have  others  and  to  do  bet- 
ter, some  day. 

The  "  some  day  "  came  sooner  than  they  expected. 

The  morning  before  the  wedding,  word  came  that  there 
were  at  the  railroad  station  several  boxes  for  their  mother. 
The  ox-cart  was  sent  for  them.  When  the  boxes  arrived, 
that  evening,  there  was  a  letter  from  their  friend  in  Delaware, 
congratulating  Cousin  Belle  and  apologizing  for  having  sent 
"  a  few  things  "to  her  Southern  friends. 

The  "  few  things  "  consisted  not  only  of  necessaries,  but 
of  everything  which  good  taste  could  suggest.  There  was  a 
complete  trousseau  for  Cousin  Belle,  and  clothes  for  each 
member  of  the  family.  The  boys  had  new  suits  of  fine  cloth 
with  shirts  and  underclothes  in  plenty. 

But  the  best  surprise  of  all  was  found  when  they  came  to 


156  TIVO   LITTLE   CONFEDERATES. 

the  bottom  of  the  biggest  box,  and  found  two  long,  narrow 
cases,  marked,  "For  the  Oakland  boys."  These  cases  held 
beautiful,  new  double-barreled  guns  of  the  finest  make. 
There  was  a  large  supply  of  ammunition,  and  in  each  case 
there  was  a  letter  from  Dupont  promising  to  come  and  spend 
his  vacation  with  them,  and  sending  his  love  and  good  wishes 
and  thanks  to  his  friends — the  "  Two   Little  Confederates." 


THE    END. 


SCR/BNERS  'BOOKS  FOT^   THE  YOUNG. 


SARA  CREWE; 


OR, 


WHAT    HAPPENED    AT    MISS    MINCHIN'S. 
BY  FRANCES  HODGSON  BURNETT. 

R.iclily  and   Fully   Illustrated  by  R.  B.  Bircb. 

One  volume,  square  8vo.  .  .  .  .  .  ^i.oo. 


As  a  beautiful  story  filled  with  an  exquisite  pathos  and  sweet- 
ness, "Sara  Crewe"  took  rank  at  once  with  the  author's  famous 
"  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy,"  now  in  its  forty-eighth  thousand.  As 
her  former  story  ha  1  a  boy  for  its  hero,  so  this  has  a  girl  for  its 
heroine— a  weird,  queer  little  creature  whose  elfish  cleverness  and 
odd  ways,  with  her  romantic  imaginings  an  I  "supposes,"  are  made 
of  striking  interest  by  the  exquisite  art  with  which  the  author  has 
woven  them  into  the  texture  of  the  story. 

'• '  Sara  Crewe  '  wi"l  join  company  with  '  Lord  Fauntleroy,'  and  the  two  to- 
gether will   take   their  place   among  the   classic   children   of  liter„ture." The 

Christiati  Union. 

"'Sara  Crewe'  is  the  Nineteenth  Century  Cinderella,  equally  triumphant  in 

the  ashes  of  the  Kitchen  or  in  the  soft  luxury  of  the  Parlor.     The  story  is  beyond 

many  a  longer  and  nioie  ambitious  one  in  its  fascinating,  artistic,  heart-subduing 

power.     Like  its  predecessor,  '  Fauntleroy,'  it  has  come  to  stay  in  our  literature 

among  its  best  gems." — The  Brooklyn  Eagle. 

"Everybody  was  in  love  with  '  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy,'  and  I  think  all  the  world  and  the  rest  of  mankind 

will  be  in  love  with  '  Sara  Crewe.'     The  tale  is  so  tender,  so  wise   so  human,  that  I  wish  every  girl  in  Amer'ca 

could  read  it,  for  I  think  every  one  would  be  made  better  by  it." — Louise  Chandler  Moulton. 

"  It  is  a  story  to  linger  over  in  the  reading,  it  is  so  brightly,  frankly,  sweetly  and  tenderly  written,  and  to  re- 
member and  return  to.  In  creating  her  little  gentlewoman,  '  Sara  Crewe,' so  fresh,  so  simple,  so  natural,  so 
genuine,  and  so  indomitable,  Mrs.  Burnett  has  added  another  Child  to  English  fiction.  No  one  who  reads  this 
story  can  read  it  without  feeling  or  can  doubt  the  loving  genius  of  Mrs.  Burnett. — R.  H.  Stoddard. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY, 

BY  FRANCES  HODGSON  BURNETT. 

Beautifully   Illustrated   toy   R.   B.   Birch. 

One  volume,  square  8vo,        ....        ^2.00. 


The  lapse  of  time  only  confirms  the  verdict  with  which  this  story  was  re- 
ceived— that  it  would  take  and  hold  its  place  among  children's  classics. 

"  The  story  is  a  masterpiece  of  refinement  and  beauty." — T/te  Newark  Advertiser. 

"A  delightful  book  for  reading  aloud  to  children  becnuse  it  is  one  that  both  grown  people 
and  children  can  enjoy  keenly,  and  the  pleasure  can  b«  equally  shared."— 7'/5^  Chicago 
Tribune. 

"  In  '  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy '  we  gain  another  charming  child  to  add  to  our  gallery  of  juve- 
nile heroes  and  heroines  ;  one  who  teaches  a  great  lesson  with  such  truth  and  sweetness,  that 
we  part  with  him  with  real  regret  when  the  episode  is  over."— ioa/ja  M.  Alcott. 

"We  have  seldom  found  among  the  issues  of  children's  books  for  many  years  a  story  so 
winsome  and  charmingly  written.  The  "  holy  simplicity  of  childhood,'  as  1*^6  Germans  call  it, 
is  the  key-note  of  the  narrative.  The  little  hero  wins  all  hearts  bv  the  irresistible  sympathy  of 
his  nature,  the  inborn  refinement  of  his  manners,  and  the  responsive  goodness  of  his  heart. — 
The  Providence  Journal. 


SCR/BNER'S  'BOOKS  FOTi  THE  YOUNG. 


Little  People: 

/^nd  TleirHomes  in  Meadows,  ^Voods  and  PVaters. 


^ 


BY  STELLA  LOUISE  HOOK. 


n^  BEAUTIFULLY  ILLUSTEATED  BY  DAN  BEAKD  AND 
HARRY  BEARD. 


One  volume,  square  8vo, 


$1.50. 


HE  boy  or  girl  who  reads  this  book  will  be  astonished  at  ihc 
amount  of  curious  and  entertaining  information  which  it  con- 
tains about  little   insects,    some  of   whose  ways   are   familiar  to 
all.     The  author  is  an  ardent  lover  of   nature,  and  writes  with 
iffectionate  fondness  and  with  a  charmingly  simple  and  winning 
tyle  of  these  tiny  denizens  of  the  field  and  water.     She  dwell-, 
in  a  way  that  will  fascinate  every  .young  reader,   on    the   manner   of 
development,  habits,  mode  of  life  and  appearance  of  animated  mites, 
describing,  in  words  that  any  child  can  understand,  the  wonderful  trans- 
formations through  which  many  of  them  pass  and  the  strange  and    busy 
lives  that  they  lead.     It  is  a  book  that  takes  the  young  reader  into  a 
veritable   fairy-land ;    and   the   author's   daintiness   of   touch 
enables  her  to  maintam  the  pleasing  illusion  and  to  hold  the 
g  attention  of  her  )  oung  readc-s 


SUMMARY  OF  CONTENTS. 
The  Flower  Fames— The  Musical  Elves- 
Little  People  in  Armor— The  Water  Sprites— 
The  Troublesome  Midgets— The  Wisest  of  the 
Little  People— Fairies'  Pets  and  their  Relations 
— The  Brownies. 


SCR/BNERS  'BOOKS  FOT{  THE  YOUNG. 


THE  MODERN  VIKINGS. 

STORIES  OF  Life  and  Sport  in  the  Norseland. 

BY   HJALMAR   H.  BOYESEN. 

With    many  full-Pme    Illustrations. 


One    Volume, 
$2.00. 


Every  boy  who  enjoys 
reading  stones  of  adventure 
and  of  hair  breadth  escapes 
from  all  kinds  of  perils  on 
sea  and  land  will  want  to 
possess  a  copy  of  this  book, 
in  which  Professor  Boyesen 
has  pictured  some  of  the 
novel  and  exciting  incidents 
in  boys'  lives  in  Norwav, 
Iceland,  and  other  regions 
of  the  Norseland  The 
cold,  invigoraiing  air  of  the 
North  blows  through  these 
pages,  but  warm,  red  blood 
runs  in  the  veins  of  the 
biave  lads  who  are  the  he- 
roes of  the  tales.  Whether 
they  are  beset  by  wolves, 
are  suspended  by  a  single 
strand  of  rope  'twixt  sky 
and  sea,  are  buried  beneath 
the  snow  with  starvation 
staring  at  them,  are  fishing 
for  !^almon  with  a  nine 
otter,  or  are  wrecked  on  a 
rocky  coast,  the  boys  will 
be  sure  to  follow  their  foit 
unes  with  zest  and  lli< 
keenest  pleasure.  The  \  lu 
and  the  spirit  of  the  nai 
tives  are  happily  matcl 
by  similar  qualities  in  il 
numerous  full  page  illustr 
tions  in  the  book. 


BETWEEN  SEA  AND  SKT. 


CONTENTS: 

Tharaid's  Otter— Between  Sea  and  Sky— Mikkel— The  Famine  Among  the  Gnomes— How  Bernt 
Went  Whaling— The  Cooper  and  the  Wolves-Magnie's  Dangerous  Ride— Thorwald  and  the  Star 
Children— Big  Hans  and  Little  Hans- A  New  Winter  Sport-The  Skerry  of  Shrieks  Fiddle -John's 
Family. 


SCRIBNERS  VOOKS  FOT{  THE  YOUNG. 


THE    BLACK    ARROW. 

^  Tale  of  the  Two  T(oses. 

BY     ROBERT     LOUIS    STEVENSON. 
WITH    12     FULL-PAGE    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY    WILL    H.    LOW    AND    ALFRED     BRENNAN. 

One  volume,   i2mo,   paper,  ^o  cents ;  cloth,  ^i.oo. 

Rep  ete  with  brik  dialogue  and   enlivening  incident,   and    told   in  the 

nervous,    picturesque   style   peculiar    to   the    author   of    '"Kidnapped"    and 

■ '  Treasure  Island  "  this  tale  of  adventure  will  share  the  popularity  of  the  best 

of   Mr.  Stevenson's  romances.      It  is  a  story  of  thrilling 

nterest  fr<  m  first  to  last. 

bsoibing  hooV:''— 7  he  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce. 
'"The story  is  full  of  the  atmosphere  of  adventure,  and  is  one  of  the  strongest  pieces 
of  romantic  writing  tver  done  by  Mr.  Stevenson."  — 7"/!^^oj/ff«  Times. 
"It  has  all  the  good  qualities  of  his  other  stories — their  inveiitlon,  their  spirit  and  their 
charming  Eng.ish.     The   hand   that  wrote  'Treasure  Island  '  and  '  Kidnapped  '  is  visibU  in 
its  stirring  p.iges." — The  New  I  ork  Mail  and  Express. 

"We  have  devoured  the  book  at  a  sitting  ;  and  were  the  question  to  arise  which  of  the 
author's  two  books,  '  Treasure  Island  '  or  '  The  P.l.ick  Arrow  '  should  be  preserved,  if  only- 
one  cf  them  could  esrape  destruction,  we  should  hesitate  not  a  moment  to  cry  out  for  'The 
iilack  Arrow.'  It  has  all  the  charm  of  the  other  book  and  something  more.  The  island  is 
become  a  forest,  with  castUs  and  abbeys  and  caverns  in  us  depths  ;  and  the  treasure  a  lovely 
maiden."— r/;^  Critic. 

"The  Black  Arrows  are  a  kind  of  Robin  Hoods,  who  foregather  io  the  greenwood, 
kiU  the  King's  venison,  waylay  the  King's  subjects,  and  exercise  a  simple  and  primi- 
tive injustice  by  ktllin>j  everybody  in  any  way  connected  with  the  objects  of  their 
special  animosity.  Mr.  Stevenson  has  made  a  striking  series  of  dramatic  pictures, 
gorous  and  incessant.  The  lawless  condition  of  the  time  is  kept  in  evidence.  Everybody  is  fighting 
or  flving,  plotting  or  baffling  plots,  doing  or  hindering  overt  wrong.  The  tale  sweeps  on  to  its  close  with  plenty 
oielan.-'—The  New  York  Tribune. 


Th 


KIDNAPPED. 

Being  Memoirs  of  llie  AdYentnres  of  DaYid  Baifonr  In  tlie  Year  1751. 

BY  ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON. 

One  volume,  i2mo,      .       .      paper,  ^oc.  ;  doth,  .fi.Oo 

With  i6  full-page  illustrations.  $i.:5. 

"Mr.  Stevenson  has  never  .nppeared  to  greater  advantage  than  i.i  'Kid- 
napped.' " — The  Nation. 

"He  brings  back  old  chivalries  and  piracies,  and  talks  to  the  boyhood  of 
to-day  of  shipwrecks  and  highwaymen,  as  if  these  venerable  objects  of  worship 
had  not  been  superseded  long  ago  by  mercantile  heroes  and  dollar-coining 
newsboys."—  The  A  tlantic  Monthly. 

"  It  is  written  wi  h  a  beautiful  earnestne.'s  ami  verity  that  convince  the  reader, 
with  every  sentence,  he  is  reading  a  true  history,  while  the  author's  wonderful 
power  of  descrio'ioii,  his  cunning  discrimination  of  character  and  his  chnrming 
English  combine  to  make  the  story  irresisnhlp." — The  Postnn  Courier. 


A  CHILD'S  GARDEN  OF  VERSES. 

BY    ROBERT    LOUIS    STEVENSON. 


One  volume,  i2mo,  gilt  top, 

"These  verses  are  simply  exquisite.  They  are  the 
child's  thought  in  thechild's  language,  and  yet  altogether 
poetical.  'We  do  not  know  anything  in  the  whole  range 
of  English  literature  to  equal  them  in  their  own  peculiar 
charm.  There  is  a  subtle  brainy  in  them  which  is 
indescribable  an  '.  unequalled. —  Tie  Chu->-chmr>n.'" 


p.oo. 


"  A  more  exquisite  and  dainty  a^t  than  Mr.  Steven- 
son's has  not  coine  to  the  service  of  children  and  their 
interpretation." — The  Springfield  Republican. 

"To  our  thinking,  Mr.  Stevenson  has  made  a  book 
which  will  become  a  classic  in  the  not  over-crowded 
field  of  child  en's  poetry." — The  Brooklyn  Union. 


SCRIBNER'S  T^OOKS  FOTi  THE  YOUNG. 


The  American  Girl's  Handy  Book 

HOW  TO  AMUSE  YOURSELF  AND  OTHERS. 

BY  LINA  AND  ADELIA  B.  BEARD. 
IVith  nearly  ^oo  Illustrations  by  the  Authors. 


One  volume,  square  8vo,  .......  S3.00. 

Full  of  information  upon  the  thousand  and  one  things  that  interest  every  girl,  this  volume 
forms  a  notable  companion  to  the  book  for  boys  by  Daniel  C.  Beard,  brother  of  the  present 
authors,  published  last  year.  Everything  that  girls  want  to  know  about  their  sports,  games,  and 
winter  afternoon  and  evening  work,  is  told  clearly  and  simply  in  this  helpful  and  entertaining 
volume.  Beginning  with  April  Fool's  Day,  the  authors  take  their  readers  through  the  circuit  of 
the  year,  dwelling  upon  the  sports,  games,  etc  ,  appropriate  to  each  season  and  to  all  the  holidays, 
and  furnishing  welcome  instruction  regarding  the  many  little  accomplishments  that  girls  like  to 

become    proficient   in.      The   volume   is  fully  and 

handsomely    illustrated    from    drawings    by    the 

authors,  wh  >se  designs  are  in  the  best  sense  illus- 

I-JOW  to  '""'^^^^     t""^'!^^  °^  the  text. 

Amuse 

Yourself 

'^:^i        and 
► /I  Jo  Others 


The:Ameri6an:Girls 
•HandyiBook- 


BY 

Una  Beard 
and 
Adelia  RBea 


NeWVork 

Charles 

Scribnens 

Sons 


SUMMARY  OF  CONTENTS. 

First  of  April — Wild  Flovvers  and  Their 
Preservation — The  Walking  Club  —  Easter- 
Egg  Game:: — Hovr  to  Make  a  Lawn -Tennis 
Net  — May -Day  Sports  —  Midsummer -Eve 
Games  and  Sports— Sea-side  Cottage  Deco- 
ration—A Girl's  Fourth  of  July — An  Impres- 
sion Album — Picnics,  Burgoos,  and  Corn- 
Roasts— Botany  as  applied  to  Art — Quiet 
Games  for  Hot  Weather — How  to  Make  a 
Hammock — Corn-Husk  and  Flower  Dolls — 
How  to  Make  Fans— All  Hallow  Eve— Na- 
ture's Fall  Decorations  and  how  to  Use  Them 
— Nutting  Parties — How  to  Draw,  Paint  in 
Oil-colors,  and  Model  in  Clay  and  Wax — China 
Painting- Christmas  Festivities,  and  Home- 
made Christmas  Gifts — Amusements  and 
Games  for  tiie  Holidays. 


FROM  THE   AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 

One  of  our  objects  is  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  girls  the  fact  that  they  all  possess  talent  and  ability  to 
«chieve  more  than  they  suppose  possible,  and  we  would  encourage  a  belief  in  the  remark  made  by  a  famous  French- 
man :"  When  you  Americans  undertake  anything  you  never  stop  to  ascertain  if  it  be  possible,  you  simply  do  it  " 

We  desire  also  to  help  awaken  the  inventive  faculty,  usually  uncultivated  in  girls,  and,  by  giving  detailed  methods 
of  new  work  and  amusement,  to  put  them  on  the  road  which  they  can  travel  and  explore  alone. 

We  know  well  the  feeling  of  hopelessness  wh  ch  accompanies  vagu<*  directions,  and,  to  make  our  explanations 
plain  and  lucid,  we  have  ourselves,  with  very  few  exceptions,  made  all  of  the  articles,  played  the  games,  and  solved 
the  problems  described. 

The  materials  employed  in  the  construction  of  the  various  articles  are  within  easy  reach  of  all,  and  the  outlay,  W 
most  cases,  little  or  nothing. 


SCRIBNER'S  "BOOKS  FOTi  THE  YOUNG. 

Children's  Stories  of  the  Great  Scientists. 

By  HENRIETTA  CHEISTIAU  WRIGHT, 
WITH     NUMEROUS    FULL-PAGE    PORTRAITS. 

One  volume,  i2mo, ^1.2^. 

Miss  Wright's  two  previous  books  have  atnined  such  popularity, 
that  a  cordial  welcome  is  anticipated  for  this  new  \olume.  It  deals, 
in  a  simple,  entertaining  man  er,  with  sixteen  of  I',  e  great  men  of 
science,  giving  a  brief,  readable  account  of  their  Ives  and  of  what  dis- 
coveries they  made.  The  narratives  are  fresh  and  animated,  having 
that  graphic  picturesqueness  which  is  rarely  fovnd  in  the  treatment 
of  such  topics.  The  portraits  of  Galileo,  Newton,  Franklin,  Agassiz, 
Faraday,  Darwin  and  others,  reflect  excellently  the  characters  of 
the  men. 


Children's  Stories  of  American  Progress. 

By  HENRIETTA  CHRISTIAN  WRIGHT. 

With  Twelve  Full-page  Illustrations,  from  Drawings  by  J.  STEEPLE   Davis. 

One  volume,   i2mo,  ......  ^1.2^^. 

The  period  included  in  the  first  two-thirds  of  the  present  century  is  vividly  sketched  in  this  vol- 
ume, the  review  covering  the  great  steps  taken  in  political,  industrial  and  scientific  development. 


"  Miss  Wright  is  favorably  known  by  her  volume  of 
well-told  'Stories in  American  History,' and  her  'Stories 
of  American  Progress'  is  equally  worthy  of  commenda- 
tion. Taken  together  they  present  a  series  of  pictures 
of  f  reat  graphic  interest.  The  illustrations  are  excel- 
lent."—7>5^  A^a^/o«. 


"They  are  told  in  a  singularly  free  and  colloquial  way, 
and  each  chapter  is  made  more  valuable  by  being  opened 
with  a  swift  and  graphic  glance  over  the  antecedent  time 
and  events  which  led  up  to  the  particular  points  de- 
scribed. The  illustrations  add  to  the  book's  other  points 
of  attraction  for  young  readers." — T/te  Chicago  Times. 


Children's  Stories 
in  American  History. 

By  HENRIETTA  CHRISTIAN  WRIGHT. 

With  Twelve  Full-page  Illustrations,  from  Drawings  by 
J.  Steeple  Davis, 

One  volume,  i2mo,         .         .         .        ^1.2^. 

"The  author  writes  with  a  peculiar  charm  that  will  insure  an  im- 
mense popularity  for  her  book."—  TAe  Boston  Home  Journal. 

"  It  is  suited  to  the  comprehension  of  the  youngest  readers,  and  yet 
will  please  those  well  along  in  their  'teens.'  " — The  Albany  Argus. 

"  A  most  delightful  and  instructive  collection  of  historical  events, 
told  in  a  simple  and  pleasant  manner.  Almost  every  occurrence  in 
the  gradual  development  of  our  country  is  woven  into  an  attractive 
story  for  young  people." — The  San  Francisco  Evening  Post 


SCR/BNER'S  "BOOKS  FOT^  THE  YOUNG. 

OTTO  OF  THE  SILVER  HAND. 

WRITTEN  AND  ILLUSTRATED  BY  HOWARD  PYLE. 
WITH    TWENTY-FIVE    FULL-PAGE    AND    MANY    OTHER    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


One  volume,  royal  8vo,  half  leather. 


^2.00. 


THREAD  of  romantic  and  touching  interest  run.  through  this  tale  by  the 
author  of  the  ever-popular  *' Merry  Adventuies  of  Robin  Hood."  The 
young  hero  is  the  motherless  son  of  a  valiant  robber  baron  of  the  old 
days  of  mediteval  Germany,  when  these  lawless  chiefs,  with  bands  of 
fierce  and  desperaie  retainers  at  their  backs,  were  constantly  fighting 
with  each  other  or  despoiling  the  caravans  of  the  merchant  burghers. 
The  motive  of  the  stoiy  springs  from  the  feud  between  Otto's  father,  the 
Lord  of  Drachenhausen.  and  the  rival  house  of  Trutz-Drachen.  Mr. 
Pyle  tells  with  great  spirit  the  narrative  of  how  the  little  fellow  was  kid- 
napped by  Baron  Henry  of  Trutz-Drachen,  and  of  One-eyed  Hans's  thrilling  adventures  when 
he  attempted  the  boy's  rjscue.  Otto  is  a  lad  of  sweet  and  lovable  character  ;  and  his  trustful 
tenderness  of  heart  is  brough:  into  striking  prominence  by  contrast  with  savage  roughness  of 
most  of  those  around  him.  The  illustrations  are  in  Mr.  Pyle's  best  vein,  graceful,  spirited 
and  vigorous. 


The  merry  ADVENTURES  of  ROBIN  HOOD 

Of  Great  Renown  in  Nottinghamshire. 

WRITTEN   AND  ELABORATELY   ILLUSTRATED   BY   HOWARD  PYLE. 


One  volume,  royal  8vo,  full  embossed  leather,  $4.50;   cloth,        -       ^^.00. 


"  A  superb  book." — The  Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 
"  An  excellent  piece  of  literary,  artisiie  and  mecha 
cal  work." — The  Louisville  Commercial. 


"  A  very i 
"  A     capLi 


•iginal  work."  — r^^  Boston  Post. 
ating     hook."  —  The     London     Daily 


"  Tkts  superb  book  is  unquestionably  the  most  original  and  elaborate  ever  produced  by  any  American 
a'-tist.  Mr.  Pyle  has  told,  with  pencil  an  I  pen  the  complete  and  consecutive  story  of  Robin  Hood  and  hit 
7nerry  men  in  their  haunts  in  Sherwood  Forest,  gathe<'ed  from  the  old  ballads  and  legends.  Mr.  Pyle's  ad- 
mirable illustrations  are  strewn  profusely  through  the  booh." — Thb  Boston  Transcript. 


Little-  John- knoweth-not-which- Road- to- take  :'"g> 


SCRIBNER'S  ^OOKS  FOX  T^^^  YOUNG. 


A    NEW    EDITION    AT    REDUCED    PRICI 


THE 


American  Boy's  Hanby  BeoK 

OR,  WHAT  TO    DO   AND    HOW   TO    DO    IT. 

BY  DANIEL  C.  BEARD. 


'One  volume,  octavo,  fully  Illustrated  by  the  Author. 


Mr.  Beard's  book  is  the  first  to  tell  the  active,  inventive  and  practical  American  boy  the  thingi 
he  really  wants  to  know;  the  thousand  things  he  wants  to  do,  and  the  ten  thousand  ways  in 
which  he  can  do  them,  with  the  helps  and  ingenious  contrivances  which  every  boy  can  cither 
procure  or  tnake.  The  author  divides  the  book  among  tlie  sports  of  the  four  seasons  ;  and  he 
has  made  an  almost  exhaustive  collection  of  the  cleverest  modern  devices,  besides  himself 
inventing  an  immense  number  of  capital  and  practical  idea-. 

SUMMARY  OF  CONTENTS. 


Kite  Time — War  Kites — Novel  Modes  of 
Fishing — Home-made  Fishing  Tackle — How 
to  Stock,  Make  and  Keep  a  Fresh-Water 
Aquarium— How  to  Stock  and  Keep  a  Ma- 
rine Aquarium — Knots,  Bends  and  Hitches — 
Dredge,  Tangle  and  Trawl  Fishing— Home- 
made Boats— How  to  Rig  and  Sail  Small 
Boats— How  to  Camp  Out  Without  a  Tent 

—  How  to  Rear  Wild  Birds  —  Home-made 
Hunting  Apparatus — Traps  and  Trapping- 
Dogs  —  Practical  Taxidermy  for  Boys  — 
Snow  Houses  and  Statuary — Winged  Skaters 

—  Winter  Fishing — Indoor  Amusements  — 
How  to  Make  %  Magic  Lantern — Puppet 
Shows — Home-made  Masquerade  and  The- 
atrical Costumes — With  many  other  subjects 
of  a  kindred  nature. 


The:Amerigan:Boys 
HandyiBook- 

BY 

XCBeard, 


"It  is  the  memory  of  the  longing  that  used  to  possess  myself  and  my  boy  friends  of  a  few  years  ago  for  a  real 
practical  American  boy's  book  that  has  induced  me  to  offer  this  volume.  Of  course  such  a  book  cannot,  in  the  nature 
of  things,  be  exhaustive,  nor  is  it,  indeed,  desirable  that  it  should  be.  Its  use  and  principal  purpose  are  to  stimulate 
the  inventive  faculties  in  boys,  to  bring  them  face  to  face  v/ith  practical  emergencies  when  no  book  can  supply  the 
place  of  their  own  common  sense  and  the  exercise  of  personal  intelligence  and  ingenuity." — trom  the  Author' -i 
Pre/ace. 

"  Each  particular  department  is  minutely  illustrated,  and  the  whole  is  a  complete  treasury,  invaluable  not  only 
to  the  boys  themselves,  but  to  parents  and  guardians  who  have  at  heart  their  happiness  and  healthful  development 
of  mind  and  muscle." — Pittsburgh  Telegraph, 

"The  boy  who  has  learned  to  play  all  the  games  and  make  all  the  toys  of  which  it  teaches,  has  unconsciously 
exercised  the  inventive  faculty  that  is  in  him,  has  acquired  skill  with  his  hands,  and  has  become  a  good  mechanic 
and  an  embryo  inventor  without  knowing  it." — Milwaukee  Evening  Wisconsin, 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 

Wilmer 
853 


